An Act To Make Public Information Regarding Financial Interests Affecting Legislative Testimony (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1993
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: FAIRCLOTH, BARTLETT, DUCHESNE, HOTHAM, PATRICK, GAGNON, SCHNEIDER
Amends: 3 MRSA §319-A, 3 MRSA §319-B

Legislative Document 
No. 1993 
H.P.1395 
House of Representatives, February 2,2006 
An Act To Make Public Information Regarding Financial Interests 
Affecting Legislative Testimony 
(AFTER DEADLINE) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205. 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative FAIRCLOTH of Bangor. 
Cosponsored by Senator BARTLETT of Cumberland and 
77J~ /J? 7J?tlC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: DUCHESNE of Hudson, HOTHAM of Dixfield, PATRICK of Rumford, 
V ALENTINO of Saco, Senators: GAGNON of Kennebec, SCHNEIDER of Penobscot. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 3 MRSA c. 15, as 
amended, 
is further 
amended by 
repealing the chapter headnote and enacting the following in its 
place: 
CHAPTER 15 
DISCLOSURE PROCEDURES 
Sec. 2. 3 MRSA §319-A is enacted to read: 
§319-A. 
Testimony before Legislature; lobbyist 
1. 
Disclosure of compensation. 
A lobbyist or lobbyist 
.Ai..S.ociate who testifies before a joint select or joint standing 
committee of the Legislature shall disclose to the committee as 
part of the testimony the name of the person or organization that 
the lobbyist or lobbyist associate is representing. 
2. 
Report of violation. 
Any person may file a complaint 
with the commission alleging a violation of this section. 
The 
commission 
shall 
notify 
all 
interested 
parties 
and 
shall 
investigate any apparent violations of this section. 
3. 
Penalty. 
If a lobbyist or lobbyist associate fails to 
disclose information required in subsection 1, the commission may: 
A. 
Suspend the lobbyist or lobbyist associate from further 
lobbying by written notice of the commission; and 
B. 
Assess a penalty of up to $5,000 against the lobbyist or 
lobbyist associate. 
4. 
Enforcement. 
The 
commission 
shall 
report 
to 
the 
Attorney General the name of a lobbyist or lobbyist associate who 
fails to pay, within 30 days of the imposition of a penalty, the 
full amount of the penalty assessed pursuant to subsection 3, 
paragraph B. 
The Attorney General shall enforce the violation in 
a civil action to collect the full outstanding amount of the 
penalty. This action must be brought in the Superior Court for 
Kennebec County or the District Court, 7th District, Division of 
Southern Kennebec. 
Sec. 3. 3 MRSA §319-B is enacted to read: 
§319-B. 
Testimony before Legislature; others 
-"'1'-".'-------"'D""i .... s~qre of 
~o~J)~UQn. 
lobbyist or 
lobbyist associate who 
A witness other 
testifies before 
Page l-LR3042(1) 
than a 
a 
joint 
select or joint standing committee of the Legislature and who has 
received or expects to receive any compensation for the testimony 
or 
for 
any 
research analysis 
or 
other 
service provided in 
connection with the testimony shall disclose to the committee as 
part of the testimony: 
A. 
The 
person 
or 
organization 
paying 
the 
witness's 
compensation; 
B. 
Any source other than that described in paragraph A that 
is indirectly paying the witness's compensation; 
C. 
Any employer that has directed the witness to provide 
the testimony or other service; and 
D. 
Any financial relationship between the witness or the 
witness's 
employer 
and 
any 
other organization that 
has 
employed 
a 
lobbyist or lobbyist associate in the State 
relating to the subject matter of the testimony. 
2. 
Report of violation. 
Any person may file a complaint 
with the commission alleging a violation of this section. 
The 
commission 
shall 
notify 
all 
interested 
parties 
and 
shall 
investigate any apparent violations of this section. 
3. 
Penalty. 
The commission may assess a penalty of up to 
$5,000 against any person or organization that is involved in a 
failure to disclose information reguired in subsection 1. 
4. 
Enforcement. 
The 
commission 
shall 
report 
to 
the 
Attorney General the name of any person who fails to pay, within 
days of the imposition of a penalty, the full amount of the 
penalty assessed pursuant to subsection 3. 
The Attorney General 
shall enforce the violation in a civil action to collect the full 
outstanding amount of the penalty. 
This action must be brought 
in the Superior Court for Kennebec County or the District Court, 
7th District, Division of Southern Kennebec. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires that a person who testifies before a 
legislative committee must disclose a financial interest that may 
or does affect the person's testimony.