An Act To Increase the Amount and Number of Qualifying Contributions under the Maine Clean Election Act Reference to the Conmlittee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0780
Sponsors: HOBBINS, BEAUDETTE, BLANCHARD, EVES, GOODE, MARTIN, PETERSON, THIBODEAU
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document 
No . .780 
H.P.531 
House of Representatives, February 26,2009. 
An Act To Increase the Amount and Number of Qualifying 
Contributions under the Maine Clean Election Act 
Reference to the Conmlittee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representati ve FLAHERTY of Scarborough. 
Cosponsored by Senator HOBBINS of York and 
111~ 
1/1. 77!1LC~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BEAUDETTE of Biddeford, BLANCHARD of Old Town, EVES of North 
Berwick, GOODE of Bangor, MARTIN of Orono, PETERSON of Rumford, THIBODEAU of 
Winterport. 
Printed ~n recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRS A §1122, sub-§7, ,A, as amended byPL 2007, c. 443, Pt. B, 
§ 2, is further amended to. read: 
A. Of $.§. $10 in the fo.rm o.f a check or a mo.ney o.rder payable to. the fund, signed by 
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the co.ntributo.r and made in SUPPo.rt o.f a candidate; 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub~§3, as amended by PL 2007, c. 571, §U, is 
further amended to. read: 
3. 
Qualifying contributions. 
Participating candidates must o.btain qualifying 
co.ntributio.ns during the qualifying perio.d as fo.llo.ws: 
fa 
A. Fo.r a gubernato.rial candidate, at least ~ 
5,000 verified registered vo.ters o.f 
this State niust SUPPo.rt the candidacy by pro.viding a qualifying co.ntributio.n to. that 
candidate; 
B. Fo.r a candidate fo.r the State Senate, at least 150 verified registered vo.tersfro.m . 
the candidate's electo.ral divisio.n must SUPPo.rt the candidacy by pro.viding a 
qualifying co.ntributio.n to. that candidate; o.r 
C. Fo.r a candidate fo.r the State Ho.use o.f Representatives, at least W 75 verified 
registered vo.ters fro.m the candidate's electo.ral divisio.n must SUPPo.rt the candidacy 
.by providing a qualifying co.ntributio.n to. that candidate. 
A payment, gift o.r anything o.f value may ·no.t be given in exchange fo.r a qualifying 
co.ntributio.n. 
A candidate may pay the fee fo.r a mo.ney o.rder that is a qualifying 
co.ntributio.n in the amo.unt o.f $.§. $10 as lo.ng as the do.no.r making the qualifying 
co.ntributio.n pays the $.§. $10 amo.unt reflected o.n the mo.neyo.rder. Any mo.ney o.rder 
fees paid by a participating candidate must be paid fo.r with seed mo.ney and repo.rted in 
acco.rdance with co.mmissio.n rules. A mo.ney o.rder must be signed by the co.ntributo.r to. 
be a valid qualifying co.ntributio.n. The Co.mmissio.ri may establish by ro.utine technical 
rule, ado.pted in acco.rdance with Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, a procedure fo.r a 
qualifying co.ntributio.n to. be made by a credit o.r debit transaction and by electro.nic funds 
transfer o.ver the Internet. Reco.rds containing info.rynati6n pro.vided by individuals who. 
have made qualifying co.ntributio.ns o.ver the Internet are co.nfidential, except fo.r the name 
of the individual making the co.ntributio.n, the date o.f the co.ntributio.n, the individual's 
residential address and the name and o.ffice So.ught o.f the candidate in who.se SUPPo.rt the 
co.ntributio.n was made; 
It is a vio.latio.n o.fthis chapter fo.r a participating candidate o.r an agent o.fthe participating 
candidate to. misrepresent the purpo.se o.f so.liciting qualifying co.ntributio.ns and o.btaining 
the co.ntributo.r's signed ackno.wledgement. 
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SUMMARY 
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This bill increases the amo.unt o.f a qualifying co.ntributio.n under the Maine Clean 
Electio.n Act fro.m $5 to. $10, increases the number o.f qualifying co.ntributio.ns a 
gubernato.rial candidate must co.llect fro.m 3,250 to. 5,000 and increases the number o.f 
qualifying co.ntributio.ns a candidate fo.r the State Ho.use o.f Representatives must co.llect 
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from 50 to 75. The number of qualifying contributions a candidate for State Senate must 
collect remains at 150.