An Act Regarding Advertisements by Maine Clean Election Act Candidates
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0791
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: MALABY, CHACE, HANINGTON, PRESCOTT, SIROCKI, SUTTON, VACHON, LANGLEY, WHITTEMORE
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1014

Legislative Document
No. 791
H.P. 571
House of Representatives, March 2, 2017
An Act Regarding Advertisements by Maine Clean Election Act 
Candidates
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MALABY of Hancock.
Cosponsored by Representatives: CHACE of Durham, HANINGTON of Lincoln, PRESCOTT 
of Waterboro, SIROCKI of Scarborough, SUTTON of Warren, VACHON of Scarborough, 
Senators: LANGLEY of Hancock, WHITTEMORE of Somerset.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 494, §1, 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.  If the candidate is 
a certified candidate, as defined in section 1122, subsection 1, the communication also 
must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication was paid for with Maine 
taxpayer funds.  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.   If a communication that is financed by someone other than the 
candidate or the candidate's authorized committee is broadcast by radio, only the city and 
state of the address of the person who financed the communication must be stated. 
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 362, §3, is 
further amended to read: 
2-A.  Other communications.  Whenever a person makes an expenditure to finance 
a communication that names or depicts a clearly identified candidate and that is 
disseminated during the 21 days before a primary election or 35 days before a general 
election through the media described in subsection 1, the communication must state the 
name and address of the person who made or financed the communication and a 
statement that the communication was or was not authorized by the candidate, except that 
a communication broadcast by radio is only required to state the city and state of the 
address of the person that financed the communication.  If the communication was 
authorized by a candidate who is a certified candidate, as defined in section 1122, 
subsection 1, the communication also must state that the communication was paid for 
with Maine taxpayer funds.  The disclosure is These disclosures are not required if the 
communication was not made for the purpose of influencing the candidate's nomination 
for election or election. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires a campaign communication authorized by a candidate who is a 
certified candidate under the Maine Clean Election Act to state that the communication 
was paid for with Maine taxpayer funds.