An Act To Preserv~ Government Documents
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1100
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: ALFOND, PENDLETON, MARRACHE, BICKFORD, PRIEST
Amends: 30-A MRSA §2502

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124thMAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No.HOO 
S.P.411 
In Senate, March 25', 2009 
An Act To Preserv~ Government Documents 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator ALFOND of Cumberland. 
9t8(J~ 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Representative PENDLETON of Scarborough and 
Senator: MARRACHE of Kennebec, Representatives: BICKFORD of Auburn, PRIEST of 
Brunswick; VALENTINO of Saco. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRS A §1017, sub-§3-A,as amended by PL 2007, c. 642, §10, is 
further amended to read: . 
3-A. Other candidates. A treasurer of a candidate for state or county office, ora 
candidate for municipal office of a town or city with a population. of 15,000 or more,· 
other thari the office of Governor shall file reports with the commission and municipal 
candidates shall file reports 'llith the municipal clerk as follows. Once the first required 
report has been filed, each. subsequent report must cover the period from the end date of 
the prior report filed. 
A. In any calendar year in which an election for the candidate's particular office is 
not scheduled, when any candidate or candidate's political committee has received 
contributions in excess of $500 or made or authorized expenditures in excess of $500, 
. reports must be filed no later than 11 :59 p.m. on July 15th of that year and January 
15th of the following calendar year. These reports must include all contributions 
made to and all expenditures made or authorized by or on behalf of the candidate or 
the treasurer of the candidate as of the end of the preceding month, except those 
covered by a previous report. 
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B. Reports must be filed no later than 11 :59 p.m. on the 11th day before the date on 
which an election is held and must be complete as of the 14th day before that date. if 
a report was not filed under paragraph A, the report required under this paragraph 
must cover all contributions and expenditures through the 14th day before the 
election. 
C. Contributions aggregating $1,000 or more from anyone contributor or single 
expenditures of $1 ,000 or more made after the 14th day before any election and more 
than 24 hours before 11 :59 p.m. on the day of any election must be reported within 
hours of those contributions or expenditures. 
D. Reports must be filed no later than 11 :59 p.m. on the 42nd day after the date on 
which an election is held and must be complete for the filing period as of the 35th day 
after that date. 
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D-l. Reports must be filed no later than 5 p.m. on the 42nd day before the date on 
which a general election is held and must be complete as of the 49th day before that 
date. 
E. Unless further reports will be filed in relation to a later election in the same 
calendar year, the disposition of any surplus or deficit·inexcess of $1 00 shown in the 
reports described in paragraph D must be reported as provided by this paragraph. 
The treasurer ofa candidate with a surplus or deficit in excess of $100 shall file 
reports semiannually with. the commission within 15 days following the end of the 
2nd and 4th quarters of the State's fiscal year, complete as of the last day of the 
quarter, until the surplus is disposed of or the deficit is liquidated. The first report 
under· thi.s paragraph is not required until the 15th day of the period:beginning at least 
days from the date of the. election. The reports will be. considered timely if filed 
electronically or in person with· thecorhmission on that date or postmarked on that 
Page I - 124LR1306(OI)-1 
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date. The reports must set forth any contributions for the purpose of liquidating the 
deficit, in the same maImer as contributions are set forth in other reports required in 
this section. 
F. Reports with respect to a candidate who seeks nomination by petition must be 
filed on the same dates that reports must be filed by a candidate for the same office 
who seeks that nomination by primary election. 
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §2502, sub-§l, as amended by PL 1999, c. 645, §15, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Reports by candidates. A candidate for municipal office of a town or city with a 
population of 15,000 or more is governed by Title 21-A, sections 1001 to 1020-A, e)wept 
that notices of appointment of a treasurer and campaign reports must be filed 'Nith the 
municipal .clerk instead of the Commission on Govenimental Ethics and Election 
Practices. 
A town or city with a population of less than 15,000 may choose to be 
governed by Title 21-A, sections 1001 to 1 020~A by vote of its legislative body at least 
days before an election for office. A town or city that votes to adopt those ·provisions 
may revoke that decision, but it must do so at least 90 days before an election subject to 
those sections. 
A.. Notwithstanding Title 17-A, section 4-A, a candidate who fails to file a notice or 
report as required by this section is guilty of a Class E crime and may be punished by 
a fine cif $5 for every day the candidate is in default or by imprisonment for not more 
than 30 days, or both. 
SUMMARY 
This bill transfers jurisdiction .. of campaign finance reports for a candidate for 
municipal office of a town or city with a population of 15,000 or more from. municipal 
olerks to the Commission on Govemm.ental Ethics and Election Practices. 
Such 
municipal candidates will be required to follow the same procedures and guidelines as 
candidates for state or county office.