An Act To Amend the Penalty Provisions and Reporting Deadlines of the Campaign Reports and Finances Laws LR2420(03)
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1728
Committee Amendment CA_A_S470 (Senate)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1020-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·A" to S.P. 661, L.D. 1728, Bill, "An 
Act To Amend the Penalty Provisions and Reporting Deadlines of 
the Campaign Reports and Finances Laws" 
Amend the bill in Part A by inserting after section 1 the 
fOllowing: 
. Sec. A-2. 21-A MRS A §1017-A, sub-§4-B is enacted to read: 
4-B. 
Filing schedule for municipaL district and county 
party 
committees. 
Municipal, 
district 
and 
county 
party 
committees shall file reports according to the following schedule. 
A. 
Reports filed during an election year must be filed with 
the commission on: 
B. 
(1) 
July 15th and be complete as of June 30th; 
(2) 
October 27th and be complete as of October 22nd; 
and 
( 3 ) 
January 15th and be complete as of December 31st. 
Reports filed during a nonelection year must be filed on: 
(1) 
July 15th and be complete as of June 30th; and 
{2 } 
Janygry 15th gnd bg ~omplgte as Qf De~gmber 31st. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
.. 
,. 
a: 
COMMITTEE j~ENDMENT ,~, to S.P. 661, L.D. 1728 
C. 
Any contribution or expenditure of $1. 000 or more made 
after the 12th day before any election and more than 24 
hours before that election must be reported within 24 hours 
of that contribution or expenditure or by noon of the first 
business 
day 
after 
the 
contribution 
or 
expenditure, 
whichever is later.' 
Further amend the bill in Part A by inserting after section 
the following: 
'Sec. A-3. 21-A MRSA §1020-A, sub-§5-A, 1[1[B to D, as amended by 
PL 2003, c. 302, §4, are further amended to read: 
B. 
Five thousand dollars for state party committee reports 
required under section 1017-A, subsection 4-A, paragraphs ~ 
B, C and E aBe-6eeE~eB-1QlgT-6~B6eeE~eB-6; 
C. One thousand dollars for reports required under section 
1017, subsection 2, paragraphs A and F.,. and section 1017, 
subsection 
3-A, 
paragraphs 
A 
and 
E; 
aBe--~~~--~aFEY 
eemm~EEee-~epe~~G-~~~4~€4-~~~~~~-~~~-&ee&~&a-1Q17-AT 
6~B6eeE~eB-4-AT-paFa~Faph-8.,. 
D. 
Five hundred dollars for municipal, district and county 
committees 
for 
reports 
required 
under 
section 
10l7-A, 
subsection -4-A-aBe-6eeE~eB-1Q18T-6~B6eeE~eB-6 4-B; or' 
Further amend the bill in Part A by striking out all of 
sections 3 and 4 and inserting in their place the following: 
'Sec. A-3. 21-A MRSA §1020-A, sub-§8, as enacted by PL 1995, 
c. 483, §15, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
8. 
Failure to file report. 
The commission shall notify a 
candidate who 
has failed to file a 
report reguired by this 
subchapter, 
in 
writing, 
informing 
the 
candidate 
of 
the 
reguirement to file a report. 
If a candidate fails to file a 
report after 3 written communications from the commission, the 
commission shall send up to 2 more written communications by 
certified mail informing the candidate of the reguirement to file 
and that the matter may be referred to the Attorney General for 
criminal prosecution. 
A candidate who fails to file a report as 
reguired by this subchapter after the commission has sent the 
communications reguired by this subsection is guilty of a Class E 
crime. 
Sec. A-4. 21-A MRSA §1020-A, sub-§8-A is enacted to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~ 
~ 2 
.: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A to S.P. 661, L.D. 1728 
A. 
Penalties for failure to file report. 
The penalty for 
failure to file a report required under this subchapter may not 
exceed the maximum penalties as provided in subsection 5-A. I 
Further amend the bill by relettering 
nonconsecutive 
Part 
letter 
or 
section 
consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
or renumbering any 
number 
to 
read 
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. 
It 
amends the bill by removing the Class E crime designation to the 
failure of a candidate or treasurer to file required campaign 
finance reports. 
It replaces that provision by stating that the 
failure to file a report is subject to the same penalties as for 
failing to file a 
report on time. 
The 
amendment also makes 
technical changes to the bill to clarify penalty provisions for 
party committees that fail to file a report or fail to file a 
report on time by correcting cross-references. 
It also amends 
the bill to reinstate a 
schedule for municipal, district and 
county party committees to file campaign finance reports that was 
inadvertently repealed in a bill passed during the First Regular 
Session of the l2lst Legislature. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMM/rrEE AMENDMENT 
Revised: 03/22/04 ;;'bJ?ae. 
Office of Fiscal and Program Review 
LD 1728 
An Act To Amend the Penalty Provisions and Reporting Deadlines of the 
Campaign Reports and Finances Laws 
LR2420(03) 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'A 
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Majority Report 
Fiscal Note 
Minor savings - General Fund 
No net revenue impact - General Fund 
Minor revenue increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements: 
Eliminates a Class E crime 
LR2420(3) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1