An Act Regarding Lobbyist Disclosure
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1393
Committee Amendment CA_A_S479 (Senate)
Amends: 3 MRSA §312-A, 3 MRSA §317

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 481, L.D. 1393, Bill, "An Act 
Regarding Lobbyist Disclosure" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Grassroots Lobbying' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 3 MRS A §312-A sub-§4-A is enacted to read: 
4-A. Covered official. "Covered official" means an official in the executive branch, 
an official in the legislative branch, a constitutional officer, the Governor and the 
Governor's cabinet and staff. 
Sec. 2. 3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§7-B is enacted to read: 
7-B. 
Grassroots lobbying. 
"Grassroots lobbying" means to communicate with 
members of the public to solicit them to communicate directly with any covered official 
for the purpose of influencing legislative action, when that solicitation is made by: 
A. A broadcast, cable or satellite transmission; 
B. A communication delivered bye-mail, a website or any other digital format; 
C. A communication delivered by print media; 
D. A letter or other written communication delivered by mail or by comparable 
delivery service; 
E. Telephone; or 
F. A method of communication similar to those listed in paragraphs A to E. 
A person does not engage in grassroots lobbying by communicating with that person's 
1 
stockholders, employees, board members, officers or dues-paying members. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
.,. 
~., 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" ~ " to S.P. 481, L.D. 1393 
Sec. 3. 3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§l1-A, as repealed and replaced by PL 1993, c. 
691, § 7, is amended to read: 
It-A. Original source. "Original source" means any person who contributes ~ 
or pays $1,000 or more in any lobbying year directly or indirectly to any employer of a 
lobbyist for purposes of lobbying or grassroots lobbying or to any other person for 
purposes of grassroots lobbying, except that contributions of membership dues to 
nonprofit corporations formed under Title 13-B, any equivalent state law or by legislative 
enactment are not considered contributions by an original source. 
Sec. 4. 3 MRS A §312-A, sub-§14-A is enacted to read: 
14-A. Solicit. "Solicit" means to entreat, to implore, to urge or to ask. 
Sec. 5. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§l, ~-1 is enacted to read: 
E-l. The specific amount of expenditures for grassroots lobbying made or incurred 
during the month, with separate totals for expenditure categories as determined by the 
commission, the legislative actions that are the subject of the grassroots lobbying and 
a general description of the intended recipients; 
Sec. 6. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§l, ~J, as corrected by RR 2001, c. 2, Pt. B, §1 and 
affected by §58, is amended to read: 
J. 
If the lobbyist is required to fflake a specifie list of items uRder paragraph I, a A 
list of all of the lobbyist's original sources of any ffloRey reeeived from that efflployer 
must be iReluded and a statement of the amounts contributed or paid by the original 
sources to the employer. If the employer or persOR who eORtributes to aR employer 
original source is a corporation formed under Title 13 or 13-C or former Title 13-A, 
nonprofit corporation formed under Title 13-8 or limited partnership under Title 31, 
the corporation, nonprofit organization or limited partnership, not the individual 
members or contributors, is must be listed as the original source. 
Sec. 7. 3 MRS A §317-A is enacted to read: 
§317-A. Grassroots lobbying report 
Any person not required to register under section 313 that spends more than $2,000 
on grassroots lobbying during a lobbying year shall file a report no later than 11 :59 p.m. 
on the 15th day of the calendar month following the date on which that amount was 
exceeded. The person shall file monthly reports by 11 :59 p.m. on the 15th calendar day 
of each month for the remainder of the lobbying year. 
1. Reports. A grassroots lobbying report filed by a person pursuant to this section 
must include: 
A. The name of the person required to file the report; 
8. The name of an individual serving as the contact for the person; 
C. The business address and other contact information for the person; 
D. A description of the business activity, mission, employer or occupation; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 481, L.D. 1393 
E. The specific amount of expenditures for grassroots lobbying made or incurred 
during the month that is the subject of the report, with separate totals for expenditure 
categories as determined by the commission, the legislative actions that are the 
subject of the grassroots lobbying and a general description of the intended 
recipients; and 
F. A list of all of the person's original sources and a statement of the amounts 
contributed or paid by the original source. If the original source is a corporation 
formed under Title 13 or former 13-A, nonprofit corporation formed under Title 13-B 
or limited partnership under Title 31, the corporation, nonprofit organization or 
limited partnership, not the individual members or contributors, must be listed as the 
original source. 
A person required to file monthly reports is subject to the same electronic filing 
requirements contained in section 317, subsection 2-A. 
Upon the termination of 
grassroots lobbying, the person shall file a notice of termination with the final monthly 
report. 
Sec. 8. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
ETHICS AND ELECTION PRACTICES, COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENTAL 
Governmental Ethics and Election Practices - Commission on 0414 
Initiative: 
Provides an allocation to update the existing electronic filing system for 
lobbyist disclosure to allow for disclosure of grassroots lobbying. 
OTHER 
SPECIAL 
REVENUE 
FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE 
FUNDS TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2007-08 
2008-09 
$0 
$3,000 
$0 
$3,000 
This amendment replaces the bill. The amendment defines "grassroots lobbying." It 
provides that a person who already files reports as a lobbyist must disclose grassroots 
lobbying payments and expenditures in their monthly reports. For a person who does not 
file reports as a lobbyist, the amendment requires disclosure of grassroots lobbying 
expenditures once $2,000 has been spent on grassroots lobbying. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03117/08 
fra~ 
LD 1393 
LR 2534(02) 
An Act Regarding Lobbyist Disclosure 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment" A " 
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Projections 
2007-08 
2008-09 
2009-10 
Appropriations/Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
$0 
$3,000 
$0 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Projections 
2010-11 
$0 
Provides a one-time Other Special Revenue Funds allocation in fiscal year 2008-09 of $3,000 to modify the existing 
electronic filing system to allow for disclosure of grass-roots lobbying. Funding for this allocation would come from 
existing funds within the lobbyist fee special revenue account. 
LR2534(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1