An Act To Abolish the Maine Clean Election Act
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0506
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: DAVIS, CRESSEY, CARR, JOY, LEWIN, MILLETT, SHERMAN, STEDMAN, TRAHAN
Amends: 1 MRSA §1008, 21-A MRSA §1013-A, 21-A MRSA §1015, 21-A MRSA §1017, 21-A MRSA §1019-B, 21-A MRSA §1020, 21-A MRSA §1020-A, 36 MRSA §5286

Legislative Document 
No. 506 
H.P.381 
House of Representatives, February 1,2005 
An Act To Abolish the Maine Clean Election Act 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative DAVIS of Falmouth. 
'111~ 111.7Jl~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representative CRESSEY of Cornish, Senator DAVIS of Piscataquis and 
Representatives: CARR of Lincoln, DAVIS of Augusta, JOY of Crystal, LEWIN of Eliot, 
MILLETT of Waterford, SHERMAN of Hodgdon, STEDMAN of Hartland, TRAHAN of 
Waldoboro. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §1008. sub-§2. as amended by PL 2001, c. 430, 
§4, is further amended to read: 
2. 
Election practices. 
To administer and investigate any 
violations of the requirements for campaign reports and campaign 
financingT-~~~~~-~~-p£evi5ieR5-~--~he-Mai£€-~~-glee~ieR 
Ae~-aRe-~he-MaiRe-GleaR-gleetieR-¥~Re; 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §1008, sub-§4, as amended by IB 1995, c. 1, §5, 
is further amended to read: 
4. 
Lobbyist 
activities. 
To 
administer 
the 
lobbyist 
disclosure laws, Title 3, chapter 15; and 
Sec. 3. 1 MRS A §1008, sub-§5, as enacted by IB 1995, c. 1, §6, 
is repealed. 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §1013-A, sub-§l, ,C, as amended by PL 1999, 
c. 729, §1, is further amended to read: 
C. 
No later than 10 days after becoming a candidate, as 
defined in section 1, subsection 5, 
a 
candidate for the 
office of State House of Representatives or Senate shall 
file in writing a 
statement declaring that the candidate 
agrees to accept voluntary limits on political expenditures 
or that the candidate does not agree to accept voluntary 
limits on political expenditures, as specified in section 
1015, subsections 7 to 9T-e£-~£~~-~~~idat~~-fi±eG-a 
eeela~aEieR-~~-i£~€£~--Ee-~-€e£~ifiee-~&-~-eaReieaEe 
~RQe~-~ae-MaiRe-bleaR-~lee~ieR-Ae~. 
The statement filed by a candidate who voluntarily agrees to 
limit spending must state that the candidate 
knows 
the 
voluntary expenditure limitations as 
set out 
ln section 
1015, subsection 8 
and that the candidate is voluntarily 
agreeing to limit the candidate's political expenditures and 
those made on behalf of the candidate by the candidate's 
political committee or committees, the candidate's party and 
the candidate's immediate family to the amount set by law. 
The statement must further state that the candidate does not 
condone and will not solicit any independent expenditures 
made on behalf of the candidate. 
The statement filed by a candidate who does not agree to 
voluntarily limit political expenditures must state that the 
candidate does not accept the voluntary expenditure limits 
as set out in section 1015, subsection 8. 
±ae--£~a~eme~~--~~~~~-~--a--€aBa4aa~e--~-~--~~~--a 
aeelaFa~~eB-~~-~£~~£~--~aQeF-~~-Ma4Be-~~a-~~~~-Ae~ 
m~s~--£~a~e--~~-~~--eaaQiQa~e--w4±±--~-~--&y--~ae 
eHpeaa~~~Fe-l~m~sas~eRs-~mpesea-ay-saas-AesT 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §1015. sub-§8, "A and B, as amended by PL 
1999, c. 729, §3, are further amended to read: 
A. 
For State Senator, $25,000; and 
B. 
For State Representative, $5,000f-aRai 
Sec. 6. 21-A MRSA §1015. sub-§8, ,C, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 
729, §3, is repealed. 
Sec. 7. 21-A MRSA §1017, sub-§3-B, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
628, Pt. B, §3, is repealed. 
Sec. 8. 21-A MRSA §1019-B, sub-§I, ,B, as enacted by PL 2003, 
c. 448, §3, is amended to read: 
B. 
Is 
presumed 
~R--Faee&--~~~~-~-~~~~-wae--~s 
eeFs~~~ea-~&-~-Ma~£~--bleaR--~~&~a-~~--€a£~~~a~~--~RaeF 
sees~eR--l-l-6-S-r-£-\;t-bGe-E::-t~~-9 to be any expenditure made to 
design, produce or disseminate a communication that names or 
depicts a clearly identified candidate and is disseminated 
during the 21 days, including election day, before a primary 
election; 
the 
days, 
including election day, 
before 
a 
general election; or during a special election until and on 
election day. 
Sec. 9. 21-A MRSA §1019-B, sub-§3, ,A, as enacted by PL 2003, 
c. 448, §3, is amended to read: 
A. 
A report required by this subsection must be filed with 
the commission according to a reporting schedule that the 
commission 
shall 
establish 
by 
rule 
that 
takes 
into 
consideration 
existing 
campaign 
finance 
reporting 
requirements aRa-~~~~-~-pFevisieas-~-~~~-14. 
Rules 
adopted 
pursuant 
to 
this 
paragraph 
are 
routine 
technical 
rules 
as 
defined 
in 
Title 
5, 
chapter 
375, 
subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 10. 21-A MRSA §1020·A. sub-§4-A. as enacted by PL 200L 
c. 714, Pt. pp, §l and affected by §2, is amended to read: 
4-A. 
Basis for penalties. 
The penalty for late filing of a 
report required under this 
subchapterT-~~~-~~--ae€eleFasea 
eampa~~a--~4RaRee--FepeFss--Fe~~4Fea--pHFsHaRs--~e--sees4eR--IQl+T 
sHase€~~.g-fl---3--lh is a percentage of the total contributions or 
expenditures 
for 
the 
filing 
period, 
whichever 
is 
greater, 
multiplied by the number of calendar days late, as follows: 
A. 
For the first violation, 1%: 
B. 
For the 2nd violation, 3%: and 
c. 
For the 3rd and subsequent violations, 5%. 
Any penalty of less than $5 is waived. 
Violations 
accumulate 
on 
reports with filing deadlines in 
a 
2-year period that begins on January 1st of each even-numbered 
year. 
Waiver of a penalty does not nullify the finding of a 
violation. 
A report required to be filed under this subchapter that is sent 
by certified or registered United States mail and postmarked at 
least 2 days before the deadline is not subject to penalty. 
A 
registration 
transmission of 
the commission, 
received by the 
or 
report 
may 
be 
provisionally 
filed 
by 
a facsimile copy of the duly executed report to 
as long as an original of the same report is 
commission within 5 calendar days thereafter. 
~Re-~~~-~~F-~~~-~~~~~-~-~-a€€e~e£a~eQ-~~-~iRaRee 
FepeF~-a~-~~~~-~R-6eetieR-~~~,-~~-1-g-may-~-~-te 
BQ~-~~~-~RaB-~-t~me&-~£e-~-By-w~~£-~~-eeR~FiBQ~ieR6 
FeeeiveQ--~F-~~~aG~~~~&-~~~-~--~-by--tRe--eaRQiQate 
eHeeeQ--~h~-~~~~~~-~~-~~~-~~~~~-F~BQ--Qi6BQF6emeRt 
ameQRtT--peF-~~y-~~-~~l~~~---~~-~~~~~~-£Ra~~--make--a 
~iRQiR~-~-~aet-~~l~~~-wReR-~~-FepeFt-~-eQe-~~~--te 
impesiR~-a-~~~~~-~h~&-6QB6e€tieBT--~~~~-~F-~ai±QFe 
te--~~~-~-~~~~~-€ampai~B--~~RaRee--~~~-~-£e--maee 
FayaBle-~e-~he-~£e-~~~~~~~~~--~-a&&e&&~~-a-FeRa±ty 
~eF-~~~~~~~-~i±e-~~~~~-eampai~R-~~~~-~F~r-tRe 
eemmissieR---£Ra~~---~~~~---~~--~~~~---~~---mi~i~a~iR~ 
eiFeQm6taReesT--~~-~~-PQFp~&e&-e~-~~~-&~~~~&r-~miti~atiR~ 
eiFeQm6taRees~-Ras-tRe-same-meaRiR~-as-iR-6QB6eetieR-~T 
Sec. 11. 21-A MRSA §1020-A, sub-§5-A. ~~C and D, as amended by 
PL 2003, c. 628, Pt. A, §4, are further amended to read: 
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: or 
D. 
Five hundred dollars for municipal, district and county 
committees 
for 
reports 
required 
under 
section 
1017-A, 
subsection 4-Bf-eF~ 
Z 
Sec. 12. 21-A MRS A §1020-A, sub-§5-A, ~E, as enacted by PL 
ZOOl, c. 714, Pt. PP, §l and affected by §Z, is repealed. 
Sec. 13. 21-A MRSA c.14, as amended, is repealed. 
Sec. 14. 36 MRSA §5286, as enacted by IB 1995, c. L 
§l8, is 
repealed. 
SUMMARY 
This bill repeals the Maine Clean Election Act.