An Act To Improve Disclosure of Campaign Finance Information and the Operation of the Maine Clean Election Act
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1546
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1017-A, 21-A MRSA §1059, 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document 
No. 1546 
S.P.592 
In Senate, December 17, 2009 
An Act To Improve Disclosure of Campaign Finance Information 
and the Operation of the Maine Clean Election Act 
Reported by Senator SULLIVAN of York for the Commission on Governmental Ethics and 
Election Practices pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, section 1009. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 17,2009. Referred to the Committee 
on Legal and Veterans Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 218. 
Printed on recycled paper 
9t[tCJ~ 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1017-A, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2009, c. 190, Pt. A, §8, 
is further amended to read: 
1. Contributions. A party committee shall repOli all contributions in cash or in kind 
from a single contributor during the reporting period that in the aggregate total more than 
$200. The party committee shall report the name, mailing address, occupation and place 
of business of each contributor. Contributions of $200 or less must be repOlied, and these 
contributions may be reported as a lump sum. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRS A §1017-A, sub-§4-A, ~, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, 
Pt. A, § 17, is further amended to read: 
E. 
A state party committee shall report any eJ(penditure of $500 contributions 
aggregating $1,000 or more from anyone contributor or single expenditures of 
$1,000 or more made after the 4th day before the election and more than 24 hours 
before 5:00 p.m. on the day of- .le election within 24 hours of that expenditure those 
contributions or expenditures. 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRS A §1017-A, sub-§4-B, '1lC, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, 
Pt. A, § 17, is further amended to read: 
C. 
Any e1(penditure of 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 the election 
must be reported within 24 hours of that eJ(penditure those contributions or 
expenditures. 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §1059, sub-§2, !!JlE, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, 
§35, is further amended to read: 
E. 
A committee shall report any e)(penditure of $500 contributions aggregating 
$1,000 or more from anyone contributor or single expenditures of $1,000 or more 
made after the 14th day before the election and more than 24 hours before 5:00 p.m. 
on the day of the election within 24 hours of that eKpenditure those contributions or 
expenditures. 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRS A §1125, sub-§12-A,~, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 302, §21, 
is repealed. 
Sec. 6. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§12-A, ~ 
is enacted to read: 
E. A document such as an invoice, contract or timesheet that specifies in detail the 
services provided by a vendor who was paid $500 or more for the election cycle for 
providing campaign staff or consulting services to a candidate. 
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SUMMARY 
This bill amends the existing requirements for political action committees and party 
committees to file campaign finance reports within 24 hours of receiving large 
contributions and making large expenditures during the last 13 days before an election. 
Under the bill, the reporting requirements for political action committees and party 
committees in this 13-day period are the same as the requir::ments for candidates. The 
bill requires political action committees and paliy committees to report any contribution 
of $1,000 or more received during the 13-day period. 
Under existing law, those 
contributions are not publicly reported until the regular financial report filed 42 days after 
the election. It also increases the threshold for political action committees and party 
committees to report large expenditures from $500 to $1,000. 
The bill clarifies when a party committee must itemize contributions in its regular 
campaign finance reports. It specifies that a paliy committee must itemize contributions 
received from the same source totaling more than $200 during the time period covered by 
the report. 
The bill amends a requirement that a Maine Clean Election Act candidate keep a 
record specifying the work performed by a vendor if the candidate has paid $500 or more 
in public campaign funds to the vendor. The bill limits the requirement to campaign staff 
and consulting services, rather than services provided by vendors generally.