An Act To Increase Campaign Finance Transparency and Accountability in Municipal Elections
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1658
Committee Amendment CA_A_H793 (House)
Amends: 1 MRSA §1002, 1 MRSA §1008, 21-A MRSA §1053-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" 4,, to H.P. 1229, L.D. 1658, "An Act To Increase 
Campaign Finance Transparency and Accountability in Municipal Elections" 
Amend the bill by inserting before section 1 the following: 
'Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §1002, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2003, c. 381, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
• 
5. Employees. The commission shall employ an executive director and such other 
assistance as may be necessary to carry out its duties, including temporary staff for the 
biennial elections held in November to support the work of the commission in municipal 
elections and referenda campaigns. The commission also shall retain a general counsel or 
a computer analyst as an employee of the commission, based on the staffing needs of the 
executive director. If the commission employs a general counsel, the general counsel may 
not hold any other state office or otherwise be employed by the State. The commission 
shall select the executive director by an affirmative vote of at least 4 commission members. 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §1008, sub-§5, as enacted by IB 1995, c. 1, §6, is amended to 
read: 
5. Maine Clean Election Act and Maine Clean Election Fund. To administer and 
ensure the effective implementation of the Maine Clean Election Act and the Maine Clean 
Election Fund according to Title 21-A, chapter 14; aoo 
Sec, 3. 1 MRSA §1008, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2005, c. 301, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
6. Enhanced monitoring. To provide for enhanced monitoring and enforcement of 
election practices and the electronic submission of reports and computerized tracking of 
campaign, election and lobbying information under the commission's jurisdiction~; and 
Sec. 4. 1 MRSA §1008, sub-§7 is enacted to read: 
7. Training. To offer training on a biennial basis to municipal clerks on campaign 
finance and compliance laws and rules.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
_._C.? 
;\~ .• 
---:i._O· 
\>· 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"/},' to H.P. 1229, L.D. 1658 
Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 3 in the 2nd line (page 1, line 5 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and insetting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 3 in the 4th line (page 1, line 7 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 3 in the 12th line (page 1, line 15 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 4 in paragraph A in the first line (page 1, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 4 in paragraph A in the 5th line (page 1, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in subsection 3-A in the 2nd line (page 2, line 13 in L.D.) 
by striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in subsection 3-A in the 4th line (page 2, line 15 in L.D.) 
by striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in subsection 3-A in paragraph C in the 4th line (page 2, 
line 33 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "24 hours" and inserting the following: ';M 
hoors 2 business days' 
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 8 in the last line (page 3, line 22 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "24 hours" and inserting the following: '2 business days' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in subsection 4 in the 4th line (page 3, line 28 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in subsection 4 in the 6th line (page 3, line 30 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "24 hours" and inserting the following: '2 business days' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 8 and insetting the following: 
'Sec. 8. 21-A MRSA §1053-A, as amended by PL 2021, c. 217, §5, is further 
amended to read: 
§1053-A. Municipal elections 
If an organization qualifies as a committee under section 1052, subsection 2 and that 
organization receives contributions or makes expenditures to influence a municipal 
campaign in towns or cities with a population of 15,000 or more, that organization must 
register and file reports with the rnunioipal olerk as required by Title 30-A, section 2502. 
The reports must be filed in accordance with the reporting schedule in section 1059 and 
must contain the information listed in section 1060. A committee registered with the 
commission and that receives contributions or makes expenditures relating to a municipal 
election shall file a copy of the report containing such contributions or expenditures with 
the clerk in the subject municipality. The commission retains the sole authority to prescribe 
the content of all reporting forms. The commission does not have responsibility to oversee 
is responsible for the oversight of the filing of registrations or campaign finance reports 
relating to municipal campaigns in a town or city with a population of 30,000 or more. If 
a municipal clerk becomes aware of a potential violation of this subchapter that the clerk 
considers to be substantial, the clerk may shall refer the matter to the commission for 
enforcement. The commission may conduct an investigation if the information referred by 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
o~s 
~ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT'~ to H.P. 1229, L.D. 1658 
the municipal clerk shows sufficient grounds for believing that a violation may have 
occurred. After conducting the investigation, if the commission determines that a violation 
of this subchapter has occurred, the commission may assess penalties provided in this 
subchapter.' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in subsection 1 in the 3rd line (page 5, line 1 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in subsection 1 in the 5th line (page 5, line 3 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 10 in subsection 2 in the 2nd line (page 5, line 14 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 10 in subsection 2 in the 6th line (page 5, line 18 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: 130,0001 
Amend the bill in section 11 in subsection 4 in the 2nd line (page 5, line 27 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "50,000" and inserting the following: '30,000' 
Amend the bill in section 11 in subsection 4 in the 3rd line (page 5, line 28 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: 
1124 hours" and inserting the following: 
business days' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 11 the following: 
'Sec. 12. 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 funding for software upgrades to the campaign finance repmting system 
to include reporting from municipal candidates and political action committees. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2022-23 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment lowers the threshold for the involvement of the Commission on 
Governmental Ethics and Election Practices in municipal elections and referenda 
campaigns from towns with 50,000 or more residents to towns with 30,000 or more 
residents. It increases the time frame for posting of campaign finance reports by a 
municipality from 24 hours to 2 business days. It requires the commission to offer a 
training for municipal clerks every other year and to hire temporary staff during the biennial 
elections in November. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "ff" to H.P. 1229, L.D. 1658 
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 02/16/22 ;:k-Tae:.. 
LD 1658 
LR 1526(02) 
An Act To Increase Campaign Finance Transparency and Accountability in Municipal Elections 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment #{fl-,,- {C/3/ 
Committee: State and Local Government 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
State Mandates 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential State Mandate - Unfunded 
FY 2021-22 
FY 2022-23 
$0 
$1,000,000 
$0 
$1,000,000 
Projections 
FY 2023-24 
$21,913 
$21,913 
P:roj ections 
FY 2024-25 
$49,007 
$49,007 
Required Activity 
Unit Affected 
Local Cost 
A town or city with a population ofless than 30,000 is required to post each 
Municipality 
Moderate 
campaign finance report received on the municipality's publicly accessible website 
statewide 
within 2 business days after the applicable deadline for filing campaign finance 
reports. Although municipalities are required to receive these reports under current 
law, many will incur additional costs to modify existing websites or create new 
websites to post the required infom1ation. 
The required local activities in this bill may represent a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. If the bill 
does require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures 
from local revenue, the state mandate provisions of the Constitution of Maine require either: ( 1) General Fund 
appropriations be provided to fund at least 90% of any additional necessitated local costs of the mandate; or (2) a 
Mandate Preamble be added to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt the mandate from 
the funding requirement. If the bill does represent a state mandate and neither one of these actions occurs, the local 
units of government will not be required to implement the mandated activities. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This bill requires candidates or political action committees seeldng to hilluence the election of a candidate for a 
municipal office of a town or city with a population of 30,000 or more to submit registrations and campaign finance 
rep01ts to the Ccinm1ission on: Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. Cunently they are required to file reports 
with the municipal clerk in municipalities with populations of 15,000 or more. The commission has estimated an 
appropriation of $1,000,000 is needed for software upgrades to the campaign finance filing and reporting system to 
accommodate the additional reporting requirements and the bill includes a one-time General Fund appropriation of 
that amount in fiscal year 2022-23. 
LR1526(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of2 
The bill also requires the commission to provide additional training for municipal clerks on campaign finance and 
compliance laws and regulations and to hire additional temporary staff during biennial election years. The commission 
has indicated that it will require appropriations of $21,913 in fiscal year 2023-24 and $49,007 in fiscal year 2024-25 
for one limited-period Planning and Research Assistant position beginning January 1, 2024. 
LR1526(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 2 of2