An Act To Increase Penalties for Certain Violations of the Campaign Reports and Financing Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1262
Committee Amendment CA_A_S432 (Senate)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1014

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 383, L.D. 1262, Bill, "An Act To 
Increase Penalties for Certain Violations of the Campaign Reports and Financing Laws" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Disclosures on Political Communications' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 2l-A MRSA §1014, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2011, c. 389, §10, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Authorized by candidate. Whenever a person makes an expenditure to finance a 
communication expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified 
candidate through broadcasting stations, cable television systems, newspapers, 
magazines, campaign signs or other outdoor advertising facilities, publicly accessible 
sites on the Internet, direct mails or other similar types of general public political 
advertising or through flyers, handbills, bumper stickers and other nonperiodical 
publications, the communication, if authorized by a candidate, a candidate's authorized 
political committee or their agents, must clearly and conspicuously state that the 
communication has been so authorized and must clearly state the name and address of the 
person who made or financed the expenditure for the communication. The following 
forms of political communication do not require the name and address of the person who 
made or authorized the expenditure for the communication because the name or address 
would be so small as to be illegible or infeasible: ashtrays, badges and badge holders, 
balloons, campaign buttons, clothing, coasters, combs, emery boards, envelopes, erasers, 
glasses, key rings, letter openers, matchbooks, nail files, noisemakers, paper and plastic 
cups, pencils, pens, plastic tableware, 12-inch or shorter rulers, swizzle sticks, tickets to 
fund-raisers, electronic media advertisements where compliance with this section would 
be impracticable due to size or character limitations and similar items determined by the 
commission to be too small and unnecessary for the disclosures required by this section. 
A communication described in this subsection made via digital or electronic media, radio 
or television must include an oral statement by the person who paid for the 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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"\ ..... 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 383, L.D. 1262 
communication stating the person's name and that the person paid for the communication. 
Statements made using video included as part of a television or digital or electronic media 
communication must visually display the person in the act of making the statement. When 
the expenditure for the communication is not made by an individual, the statement must 
be made by a principal officer of the organization making the expenditure or a person 
with significant decision-making authority for making the expenditure. A communication 
financed by a candidate or the candidate's committee is not required to state the address 
of the candidate or committee that financed the communication. A communication in the 
form of a sign that is financed by a candidate or the candidate's committee and that 
clearly identifies the name of the candidate and is lettered or printed individually by hand 
is not required to include the name and address of the person who made or financed the 
communication or to include a statement that the communication has been authorized by 
the candidate, the candidate's authorized committee or their agents. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 360, § 1, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Not authorized by candidate. If the communication described in subsection 1 is 
not authorized by a candidate, a candidate's authorized political committee or their agents, 
the communication must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication is not 
authorized by any candidate and state the name and address of the person who made or 
financed the expenditure for the communication. If the communication is in written 
form, the communication must contain at the bottom of the communication in print that is 
no smaller in size than 12-point bold print, Times New Roman font, the words "NOT 
PAID FOR OR AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE." A communication described 
in this subsection that is made via digital or electronic media, radio or television must 
include an oral statement by the person who paid for the communication stating that 
person's name and that the person paid for the communication. Statements made using 
video included as part of a television or digital or electronic media communication must 
visually display the person in the act of making the statement. When the expenditure for 
the communication is not made by an individual, the statement must be made by a 
principal officer of the organization making the expenditure or a person with significant 
decision-making authority for making the expenditure.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and is the minority report of the committee. It 
amends the laws governing political communications made using radio, television and 
digital and electronic media that advocate for the election or defeat of a clearly identified 
candidate in an election. The amendment requires a statement by the person who paid for 
the communication stating the person's name and that the person paid for the 
communication. 
When the expenditure for the communication is not made by an 
individual, the statement must be made by a principal officer of the organization or a 
person with significant decision-making authority for paying for the communication. 
This statement is required for communications that are authorized by a candidate and 
those that are not authorized by a candidate. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT