An Act To Allow Maine Clean Election Act Funds To Be Used for Election Recounts
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1686
Committee Amendment CA_A_H534 (House)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1018-B

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1210, L.D. 1686, Bill, "An Act To 
Allow Maine Clean Election Act Funds To Be Used for Election Recounts" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
' 
'Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1018-B, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 334, §14, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Receipt of donations. After an election, candidates may receive donations for 
purposes of a recount. The donations must be within the limitations of section 1015, 
except that no limitation applies to donations from party committees and caucus 
campaign committees and from attorneys, consultants and their firms that are donating 
their services without reimbursement. 
CafHlidates mav not snend re-venues reoeh,,ed 
under chapter 14 for recount e~(penditures. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1018-B, sub-§3 is enacted to read: 
3. Maine Clean Election Act candidates. Notwithstanding any provision of law to 
the contrary, a candidate certified as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate under section 
1125. subsection 5 may receive and expend funds for purposes of a recount in accordance 
with this subsection. 
A. A certified candidate may receive and expend donations for purposes of a recount 
under subsection 2. 
B. If the opponent of a certified candidate requests a recount. the certified candidate 
may use Maine Clean Election Fund revenues previously disbursed under section 
1125 for eligible recount expenditures. A certified candidate may not receive an 
additional disbursement from the Maine Clean Election Fund for eligible recount 
expenditures. For purposes of this paragraph, "eligible recount expenditures" means 
only expenditures for legal representation either during a recount or during a court 
challenge to the results of the recount. 
"Eligible recount expenditures" does not 
include a deposit paid by a candidate who requests a recount under section 737-A.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A"toH.P.1210,L.D.1686 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the minority report of the committee, clarifies that a 
candidate may only spend revenues the candidate previously received under the Maine 
Clean Election Act for the cost of legal representation during a recount or subsequent 
court challenge if the recount is requested by the candidate's opponent. Maine Clean 
Election Act Fund revenues may not be used to pay the deposit due to the Secretary of 
State by a candidate who requests a recount. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/16/19 feac 
LD 1686 
LR2295(02) 
An Act To Allow Maine Clean Election Act Funds To Be Used for Election Recounts 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ~{ // -f; J ~ 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Current biennium revenue decrease - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Current law prevents a certified Maine Clean Election Act (MCEA) candidate from using MCEA funding to pay any 
expenditures for a recount. This bill allows such a candidate to use previously distributed MCEA funds for the cost of 
eligible recount expenditures if a recount is requested by the candidate's opponent. To the extent that any MCEA 
funding is used for recount expenditures going forward, the amount of unused MCEA funding returned by candidates 
after an election is completed will be less than what would have been returned without this legislation. No estimate is 
made of the amount ofMCEA funding that will be used for recount expenditures. 
LR2295(02) - Fiscal Note - Page I of 1