An Act To Increase Access to Information Regarding Referendum Questions
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1251
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: MAKAS, GAGNON, BLANCHETTE, CLARK, GERZOFSKY, HOTHAM, LANDRY, NORBERT, YOUNG, ROTUNDO
Amends: 1 MRSA §354

Legislative Document 
No. 1251 
H.P.925 
House of Representati ves, March 6, 2003 
An Act To Increase Access to Information Regarding Referendum 
Questions 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative MAKAS of Lewiston. 
Cosponsored by Senator GAGNON of Kennebec and 
77l~frl.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BLANCHETTE of Bangor, CLARK of Millinocket, GERZOFSKY of 
Brunswick, HOTHAM of Dixfield, LANDRY of Sanford, NORBERT of Portland, YOUNG of 
Limestone, Senator: ROTUNDO of Androscoggin. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRS A §353, as amended by PL 1991, c. 837, Pt. A, 
§l, is further amended to read: 
§353. Explanation of proposed amendments 
With the assistance of the Secretary of State, the Attorney 
General shall prepare a brief explanatory statement whieh that 
must 
fairly 
describe 
the 
intent 
and 
content 
of 
each 
constitutional resolution or statewide referendum that may be 
presented to the people aBaL 
which must include any information 
prepared 
under 
Title 
5, 
section 
152. 
In 
addition 
to 
the 
explanatory statement, the Secretary of State and the Attorney 
General shall prepare an explanation of what a yes vote favors 
and 
a 
no vote opposes and of the financial impact on State 
revenues, appropriations or allocations of each referendum. 
The 
Secretary of State may request assistance from the Office of 
Fiscal and Program Review in preparing the fiscal analysis. 
The 
Secretary of State shall publish this explanatory statement in 
each daily newspaper of the State, not more than 10 and not less 
than 7 days prior to the voting. The explanatory statement may be 
published 
in 
the 
English 
language 
in 
a 
foreign 
language 
newspaper. 
This explanatory statement may not include comments 
of proponents or opponents as provided by section 354. 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §354 is enacted to read: 
§354. 
Public comment on proposed amendments; rules; fees 
The Secretary of State shall allow for the publication of 
public 
comment 
by 
proponents 
and 
opponents 
of 
statewide 
referendum 
questions 
along 
with 
the 
explanatory 
statement 
required in section 353. 
The Secretary of State shall adopt 
rules regarding the publication of public comment. 
These rules 
must include, but are not limited to, a word limit, the labeling 
of public comment as supporting or opposing a measure, and the 
identification of the 
author of the 
comment. 
Rules 
adopted 
pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined 
in Title 5, 
chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A. 
A person filing a 
proponent or opponent statement for publication shall pay a fee 
of $500 to the Secretary of State. 
Fees collected pursuant to 
this section pay for the costs of publishing the information 
related to the 
referendum pursuant to this section, 
and any 
unspent excess must be deposited in the General 
Fund. 
The 
Secretary of State shall publish the information relating to a 
referendum, 
including 
the 
referendum 
question, 
explanatory 
information, public comment and fiscal impact, on a publically 
accessible site on the Internet and in pamphlets distributed to 
municipalities. 
Page l-LR0820(1) 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Secretary of State to allow for the 
publication of public comment in support of or opposition to 
statewide 
referendum 
questions 
along 
with 
the 
explanatory 
information that is already published by the Secretary of State. 
The bill establishes a fee of $500 for having a public comment 
printed. 
The bill also makes it a statutory requirement that the 
Secretary of State include information on the financial impact of 
each referendum in the explanatory statement.