An Act Regarding Grassroots Lobbying
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0310
Committee Amendment CA_A_H208 (House)
Amends: 3 MRSA §312-A, 3 MRSA §317

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 246, L.D. 310, Bill, "An Act 
Regarding Grassroots Lobbying" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Indirect Lobbying' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§7-B is enacted to read: 
7-B. Indirect lobbying. "Indirect lobbying" means to communicate with members of 
the general public to solicit them to communicate directly with any covered official for 
the purpose of influencing legislative action, other than legislation that is before the 
Legislature as a result of a direct initiative in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, 
Article IV, Part Third, Section 18, when that solicitation is made by: 
A. A broadcast, cable or satellite transmission; 
B. A communication delivered by print media; or 
C. A letter or other written communication delivered by mail or by comparable 
delivery service. E-mail is not considered a letter for the purposes of this paragraph. 
Sec. 2. 3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§l1-A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §8, is 
further amended to read: 
ll-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 indirect lobbying, except that contributions of 
membership dues to nonprofit corporations formed under Title 13-B, under any 
equivalent state law or by legislative enactment are not considered contributions by an 
original source. 
Sec.3. 3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§14-A is ena.cted to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMlTIEE AMENDMENT ,,/Jr, to H.P. 246, L.D. 310 
14-A. Solicit. "Solicit" means to entreat, implore, urge or ask. 
Sec. 4. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§l, CjjE-l is enacted to read: 
E-l. 
When expenditures for the purposes of indirect lobbying exceed $15,000 
during the month that is the subject of the report, the specific dollar amount of 
expenditures for indirect lobbying made or incurred during the month by a lobbyist, 
lobbyist associate or employer, with separate totals for expenditure categories as 
determined by the commission, the legislative actions that are the subject of the 
indirect lobbying and a general description of the intended recipients; 
Sec. 5. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§l, ~J, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §14, is 
further amended to read: 
1. 
A list of -all of the employer's original sources '",ho have contributed or paid 
$1,000 or more during the lobbying year directly or indirectly to the employer for 
purposes of lobbying and a statement of the dollar amounts contributed or paid by the 
original sources to the employer. If the original source is a corporation formed under 
Title 13 or 13-C or former Title 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. 
Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
ETIDCS AND ELECTION PRACTICES, COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENTAL 
Governmental Ethics and Election Practices - Commission on 0414 
Initiative: Provides funds to modify the commission's lobbyist system and public 
disclosure website. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
2009-10 
$10,000 
$10,000 
2010-11 
$0 
$0 
S~Y 
1 
This amendment is the majority report of the committee and strikes the provision in 
the bill that would have required a person who is not already reporting as a lobbyist to 
submit a report to the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices when 
that person has spent in excess of $2,000 on grassroots lobbying. The amendment also 
changes the term "grassroots lobbying" to "indirect lobbying." It specifies that indirect 
lobbying is communication to members of the general public soliciting them to directly 
communicate with Legislators or members of the executive branch regarding a legislative 
action. Under this amendment reporting indirect lobbying expenditures would not be 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A" to H.P. 246, L.D. 310 
required until $15,000 was spent on that activity during the month subject to the report. It 
also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/23/09 
~a~ 
LD310 
LR 1164(02) 
An Act Regarding Grassroots Lobbying 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,It" 
Committee: Legal and Veterans Alflfairs 
Fiscal Not~ Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
2009-10 
2010-11 
Projections 
2011-12 
Projections 
2012-13 
Appropriations/Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
$10,000 
$0 
$0 
The bill includes a one-time Other Special Revenue Funds allocation of $10,000 in fiscal year 2009-10 to the 
Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices for necessary modifications to the lobbyist system and 
public disclosure website. These modifications can be accomplished with existing funds in the lobbyist special 
account. 
LRl164(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1 
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