An Act To Require Candidates Who Are Not Maine Clean Election Act Candidates To Report All Sources of Funding
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1348
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: STRIMLING
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1017, 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document 
No. 1348 
S.P.439 
In Senate, March 12,2003 
An Act To Require Candidates Who Are Not Maine Clean Election 
Act Candidates To Report All Sources of Funding 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator STRIMLING of Cumberland. 
Printed (lll n:cycled paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec.!. 21-A MRSA §1017, sub-§3-A, as amended by PL 1995, c. 
483, §7, is further amended by amending the first paragraph to 
read: 
3-A. 
Other candidates. 
A treasurer of 
a 
candidate for 
state or county office other than the office of Governor shall 
file reports with the commission and municipal candidates shall 
file reports with the municipal clerk as follows. 
Once the first 
required report has been filed, each subsequent report must cover 
the period from the completion date of the prior report filed. 
Reports 
required by this subsection must 
include 
a 
detailed 
accounting of sources of contributions received and obligations 
incurred and the purpose for and recipient of all expenditures. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1017, sub-§3-B, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
589, §§1 and 2, is further amended to read: 
3-B. 
Accelerated reporting schedule. 
are 
required 
from 
nonparticipating 
Maine 
candidates pursuant to this subsection. 
Additional reports 
Clean 
Election 
Act 
A. 
In addition to other 
reports required by 
law, 
any 
candidate for 
Governor, 
State Senate 
or State 
House 
of 
Representatives 
who 
is 
not certified as 
a 
Maine 
Clean 
Election Act candidate under chapter 14 and who receives, 
spends or obligates more than 1% in excess of the primary or 
general election distribution amounts 
for 
a 
Maine 
Clean 
Election Act candidate in the same race shall file by any 
means acceptable to the commission, within 48 hours of that 
event, 
a 
report 
with 
the 
commission 
detailing 
the 
candidate's total campaign contributions, 
obligations 
and 
expendi tures to date. 
The report must detail sources of 
contributions 
and 
obligations 
and 
the 
purpose 
for 
and 
recipient of expenditures. 
B. 
A nonparticipating candidate with a Maine Clean Election 
Act opponent shall file the following additional reports 
detailing 
the 
candidate'S 
total 
campaign 
contributions, 
obligations and expenditures to date, unless that candidate 
signs an affidavit by the date the report is due, attesting 
that the candidate has not received, spent or obligated an 
amount sufficient to require a report under paragraph A: 
(1) 
A report filed not later than 5 p.m. on the 42nd 
day before the date on which an election is held and 
complete as of the 44th day before that date; 
( 2) 
A report filed no later than 5 p.m. on the 21st 
Page l-LR0574(l) 
day before the date on which an election is held and 
complete as of the 23rd day before that date; and 
(3) 
A report filed no later than 5 p.m. on the 12th 
day before the date on which an election is held and 
complete as of the 14th day before that date. 
C. 
A candidate who 
is required to file a 
report under 
paragraph A must file with the commission an updated report 
that reports single expenditures in the following amounts 
that are made after the 14th day before an election and more 
than 48 hours before 5:00 p.m. on the date of that election: 
(1) 
For a candidate for Governor, a single expenditure 
of $1,000; 
( 2 ) 
For a candidate for the state Senate, 
a single 
expenditure of $750; and 
( 3 ) 
For 
a 
candidate 
for 
the 
state 
House 
of 
Representatives, a single expenditure of $500. 
A report filed pursuant to this paragraph must be filed 
within 48 24 hours of the expenditure. 
The commission shall provide forms to facilitate compliance with 
this subsection. 
The commission shall notify a candidate within 
£± hours if an amount reported on any report under paragraph B 
exceeds 
1% 
in 
excess 
of 
the 
primary 
or 
general 
election 
distribution amounts for a Maine Clean Election Act candidate in 
the same race and no report has been received under paragraph A. 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6, as enacted by IB 1995, c. l, 
§17, is amended to read: 
6. 
Restrictions 
on 
contributions 
and 
expenditures 
for 
certified candidates; reports. 
After certification, a candidate 
must limit the candidate's campaign expenditures and obligations, 
including outstanding obligations, to the revenues distributed to 
the candidate from the fund and may not accept any contributions 
unless specifically authorized by the commission. 
All revenues 
distributed to certified candidates from the fund must be used 
for 
campaign-related purposes. 
The 
commission 
shall 
publish 
guidelines outlining permissible campaign-related expenditures. 
Certified 
candidates 
shall 
provide 
reports 
periodically, 
as 
designated by the 
commission, 
detailing the 
purpose 
for 
and 
recipient of expenditures on forms provided by the commission. 
SUMMARY 
This 
bill 
requires 
more 
detailed 
reporting 
for 
those 
candidates running against Maine Clean Election Act candidates. 
The bill requires that the report detail sources of contributions 
and 
obligations 
and 
the 
purpose 
for 
and 
recipient 
of 
expenditures. 
It 
also 
requires 
that 
the 
contribution 
and 
expenditure 
reports 
due 
to 
be 
filed with the 
Commission 
on 
Governmental Ethics and Election Practices 2 weeks prior to an 
election 
be 
filed 
within 
hours 
of 
the 
contribution 
or 
expenditure that triggers the report.