An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Disclosure by Political Action Committees I I
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1394
Committee Amendment CA_A_S402 (Senate)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1051, 21-A MRSA §1052, 21-A MRSA §1053, 21-A MRSA §1056-B, 21-A MRSA §10, 21-A MRSA §1060

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 482, L.D. 1394, Bill, "An Act 
Regarding Campaign Finance Disclosure by Political Action Committees" 
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Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1051, first ~r, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §26, 
is further amended to read: 
This subchapter applies to the activities of political action committees organized in 
and outside this State that accept contributions, incur obligations or make expenditures ill 
an aggregate amount in excess of $1 ,500 in anyone calendar year for the election of state, 
county or municipal officers, or for the suppOli or defeat of any campaign, as defined in 
this subchapter. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1052, sub-§5, ~rA, as amended by PL 2005, c. 575, §5, is 
futiher amended to read: 
A. 
Includes: 
(I) Any separate or segregated fund established by any corporation, membership 
organization, cooperative or labor or other organization whose purpose is to 
influence the outcome of an election, including a candidate election or ballot 
question; 
(2) Any person who serves as a funding and transfer mechanism and spends 
money to initiate, advance, promote, defeat or influence in any way a candidate, 
campaign, political party, referendum or initiated petition in this State; 
(3) Any organization, including any corporation or association, that has as its 
major purpose advocating the passage or defeat of a ballot question and that 
makes e}(penditures other than by contribution to a political action committee, for 
the purpose of the initiation, promotion or defeat of any question; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 482, L.D. 1394 
(4) Any organization, including any corporation or association, that has as its 
major purpose advocating the passage or defeat of a ballot question and that 
solicits funds from members or nonmembers initiating, promoting, defeating or 
influencing a candidate election, campaign or ballot question and that spends 
more than $1,500 in a calendar year to initiate, advance, promote, defeat or 
influence in any 'Nay a candidate, campaign, political party, referendum or 
initiated petition for that purpose, including for the collection of signatures for a 
direct initiative, or referendum in this State; and 
(5) 
Any organization that does not have as its major purpose promoting, 
defeating or influencing candidate elections but that spends more than $5,000 in a 
calendar year for the purpose of promoting, defeating or influencing in any way 
the nomination or election of any candidate to pol itical office; and 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1053, first~, as amended by PL 2005, c. 575, §6, is further 
amended to read: 
Every political action committee, as defined under section 1052, subsection 5, 
paragraph A, subparagraph (1) or (4), that accepts contributions, incurs obligations or 
makes expenditures in the aggregate in excess of $1,500 in any single calendar year to 
initiate, support, defeat or influence in any way a campaign, referendum, initiated 
petition, including the collection of signatures for a direct initiative, candidate, political 
committee or another political action committee and every political action committee, as 
defined under section 1052, subsection 5, paragraph A, subparagraph (5), that makes 
expenditures in the aggregate in excess of $5,000 must register with the commission, 
within 7 days of accepting those contributions, incurring those obligations or making 
those expenditures, exceeding the applicable amount on forms prescribed by the 
commission. These forms must include the following information and any additional 
information reasonably required by the commission to monitor the activities of political 
action committees in this State under this subchapter: 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §1056-B, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 729, §8, is amended to 
read: 
§1056-B. Ballot question committees 
Any person not defined as a political action committee who solicits and receives 
contributions or makes expenditures, other than by contribution to a pol itical action 
committee, aggregating in excess of ~ 
$5,000 for the purpose of initiating, 
promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot question must file a report with 
the commission. In the case of a municipal election, a copy of the same information must 
be filed with the clerk of that municipality. Within 7 days of receiving contributions or 
making expenditures that exceed $5,000, the person shall register with the commission as 
a ballot question committee. For the purposes of this section, expenditures include paid 
staff time spent for the purpose of influencing in any way a ballot question. The 
commission must prescribe forms for the registration, and the forms must include 
specification of a treasurer for the committee, any other principal officers and all 
individuals who are the primary fund-raisers and decision makers for the committee. 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A " 
to S.P. 482, L.D. 1394 
1. Filing requirements. A report required by this section must be filed with the 
commission according to a reporting schedule that the commission shall establish that 
takes into consideration existing campaign finance reporting schedule requirements in 
section 1059. 
2. Content. A report must contain an itemized account of each expenditure made to 
and contribution received and expenditure made from a single source aggregating in 
excess of $1 00 in any election; the date of each contribution; the date and purpose of each 
expenditure; and the name and address of each contributor, payee or creditor. +eta! 
contributions or expenditures of less than $500 in any election need not be itemized. The 
report must state whether the purpose for receiving contributions and making 
expenditures is in support of or in opposition to the ballot question. The filer is required 
to repoli only those contributions made to the filer for the purpose of initiating, 
promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot question and only those 
expenditures made for those purposes. 
The definitions of "contribution" and 
"expenditure" in section 1052, subsections 3 and 4, respectively, apply to persons 
required to file ballot question reports. 
2-A. Contributions. For the purposes of this section, "contribution" includes, but is 
not limited to: 
A. 
Funds that the contributor specified were given in connection with a ballot 
question; 
B. Funds provided in response to a solicitation that would lead the contributor to 
believe that the funds would be used specifically for the purpose of initiating, 
promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot question; 
C. Funds that can reasonably be determined to have been provided by the contributor 
for the purpose of initiating, promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot 
question when viewed in the context of the contribution and the recipient's activities 
regarding a ballot question; and 
D. Funds or transfers from the general treasury of an organization filing a ballot 
question report. 
3. Forms. A report required by this section must be on a form prescribed and 
prepared by the commission. A person filing this repOIi may use additional pages if 
necessary, but the pages must be the same size as the pages of the form. 
4. Records. A person filing a report required by this section shall keep records as 
required by this subsection for one year following the election to which the records 
peliain. 
A. The filer shall keep a detailed account of all contributions made to the filer for the 
purpose of initiating, promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot question 
and all expenditures made for those purposes. 
B. The filer shall retain a vendor invoice or receipt stating the particular goods or 
services purchased for every expenditure in excess of $50. 
Sec. S. 21-A MRSA §10S8, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §34, is further 
amended to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 482, L.D. 1394 
§1058. Reports; qualifications for filing 
A political action committee that is registered required to register with the 
commission or that accepts contributions or makes expenditures and incurs obligations in 
an aggregate amount in excess of $1,500 on anyone or more campaigns for the office of 
Governor, for state or county office or for the support or defeat of a referendum or 
initiated petition shall file a report on its activities in that campaign with the commission 
on forms as prescribed by the commission. A political action committee organized in this 
State required under this section to file a report shall file the report for each filing period 
under section 1059. A political action committee organized outside this State shall file 
with the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices of this State a copy 
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of the report that the political action committee is required to file in the state in which the 
political action committee is organized. The political action committee shall file the copy 
only if it has expended funds or received contributions or made expenditures in this State. 
The copy of the report must be filed in accordance with the schedule of filing in the state 
where it is organized. If contributions or expenditures are made relating to a municipal 
office or referendum, the report must be filed with the clerk in the subject municipality. 
Sec. 6. 21-A MRS A §1060, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §36, 
is further amended to read: 
6. 
Identification of contributions. Names, occupations, places of business and 
mailing addresses of contributors who have given more than $50 to the political action 
committee in the reporting period and the amount and date of each contribution, except 
that an organization qualifying as a political action committee under section 1052, 
subsection 5, paragraph A, subparagraph (5) is required to report only those contributions 
made to the organization for the purpose of promoting, defeating or influencing a ballot 
question or the nomination or election of a candidate to political office and all transfers to 
or funds used to support the political action committee from the general treasury of the 
organization; and 
Sec. 7. 21-A MRSA §1060, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 839, §31 and 
affected by §33, is amended to read: 
7. Other expenditures. Operational expenses and other expenditures in cash or in 
kind that are not made on behalf of a candidate, committee or campaign, except that an 
organization qualifying as a political action committee under section 1052, subsection 5, 
paragraph A, subparagraph (5) is required to report only those expenditures made for the 
purpose of promoting, defeating or influencing a ballot question or the nomination or 
election of a candidate to political office.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill. 
It amends the definition of "political action 
committee" by adding clarifying language and by including in the definition any 
organization whose major purpose is not influencing candidate elections but spends more 
than $5,000 in a calendar year for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election 
of any candidate to political office. 
The amendment specifies that political action 
committees must file a report with the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election 
Practices within 7 days of meeting the definition of "political action committee" and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 482, L.D. 1394 
clarifies what must be included in the report. This amendment also changes the repOliing 
threshold from $1,500 to $5,000 for persons who are not political action committees but 
make expenditures, including paid staff resources, for the purposes of influencing a ballot 
measure. Those required to file a repoli under this requirement are called ballot question 
committees. Ballot question committees, under this amendment, are required to report 
expenditures and contributions from a single source aggregating in excess of $1 00 in any 
election that were made for the purpose of influencing a ballot measure. The amendment 
specifies what is considered a contribution for the purposes of filing a ballot measure 
committee report and details record-keeping requirements. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT