An Act To Improve the Disclosure of Financial Activities by Political Action Committees and Ballot Question Committees
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1510
Committee Amendment CA_A_H527 (House)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1057

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1033, L.D. 1510, Bill, "An Act To 
Improve the Disclosure of Financial Activities by Political Action Committees and Ballot 
Question Committees" 
Amend the bill in section 3 in § 1056-B by striking out all of subsections 2 and 2-A 
(page 2, lines 21 to 43 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'2. Content. A report required by this section must contain an itemized account with 
the date, amount and purpose of each expenditure made to and eoatribution for the 
purpose of initiating or influencing a campaign; an itemized account of contributions 
received from a single source aggregating in excess of $-WG $50 in any election; the date 
of each contribution; the date and purpose of each expenditure; the name and address of 
each contributor, payee or creditor; and the occupation and principal place of business, if 
any, for any person who has made contributions exceeding $-WG $50 in the aggregate. 
The filer is required to report only those contributions made to the filer for the purpose of 
initiating or influencing a campaign and only those expenditures made for those purposes. 
The definitions of "contribution" and "expenditure" in section 1052, subsections 3 and 4, 
respectively, apply to persons required to file ballot question reports. 
2-A. Contributions. For the purposes of this section, "contribution" includes, but is 
not limited to: 
A. Funds that the contributor specified were given in connection with a campaign; 
B. Funds provided in response to a solicitation that would lead the contributor to 
believe that the funds would be used specifically for the purpose of initiating or 
influencing a campaign; 
C. Funds that can reasonably be determined to have been provided by the contributor 
for the purpose of initiating or influencing a campaign when viewed in the context of 
the contribution and the recipient's activities regarding a campaign; and 
D. Funds or transfers from the general treasury of an organization filing a ballot 
question report.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~o~s 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·A" to H.P. 1033, L.D. 1510 
Amend the bill in section 3 in § 1056-B in subsection 4 in paragraph B in the last line 
(page 3, line 10 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "~ $100" and inserting the 
following: '$50' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 5 and 6 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §1057, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 334, §25, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Receipts. The treasurer of a political action committee shall retain a vendor 
invoice or receipt stating the particular goods or services purchased for every expenditure 
in excess of $50 to initiate or influence a campaign.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 8. 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment removes the provisions in the bill that increase the threshold for 
itemizing expenditures for political action committees from $50 to $100. Under the 
amendment both political action committees and ballot question committees are required 
to itemize expenditures exceeding $50. The amendment also removes the provision in 
the bill that establishes a framework for reporting by political action committees and 
ballot question committees of contributions received from multipurpose organizations for 
the purpose of influencing a candidate election or ballot question. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 02/19/16 ;:t,,,ac. 
LD 1510 
LR 2490(02) 
An Act To Improve the Disclosure of Financial Activities by Political Action Committees and Ballot 
Question Committees 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'A' l t\:-5d-..1) 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Minor revenue increase - General Fund 
Any additional costs to the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices from implementing this 
legislation are expected to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. Any revenue generated 
is also expected to be minor. 
LR2490(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1