An Act to Impose an Expanded Prohibition on Lobbying for Former Executive Branch Employees
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1357
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: KESSLER, BOYER, BENNETT, MORRIS, O'NEIL, PLUECKER, BRAKEY, CHIPMAN, GROHOSKI
Amends: 3 MRSA §318-A, 3 MRSA §318-B

Legislative Document
No. 1357
H.P. 871
House of Representatives, March 28, 2023
An Act to Impose an Expanded Prohibition on Lobbying for Former 
Executive Branch Employees
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative KESSLER of South Portland.
Cosponsored by Representative BOYER of Poland, Senator BENNETT of Oxford and
Representatives: MORRIS of Turner, O'NEIL of Saco, PLUECKER of Warren, Senators: 
BRAKEY of Androscoggin, CHIPMAN of Cumberland, GROHOSKI of Hancock.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  3 MRSA §318-A, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 288, §1, is amended by enacting 
at the end a new paragraph to read:
This section is repealed December 4, 2024.
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §318-B is enacted to read:
§318-B.  Former executive branch employee lobbying prohibited
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Classified service" has the same meaning as in Title 5, section 7032, subsection 3.
B.  "Compensated lobbying" means lobbying conducted by an individual who is 
specifically employed by another person other than the State or an agency of the State 
for that purpose or lobbying conducted by an individual as a regular employee of 
another person other than the State or an agency of the State.  "Compensated lobbying" 
does not include activities for which the individual receives no compensation other 
than reimbursement for lobbying-related travel with the State and reimbursement for 
other out-of-pocket expenditures made by the individual for printing, postage and food 
and lodging connected with lobbying activities paid for by the individual.  For the 
purposes of this section, "reimbursement for other out-of-pocket expenditures" does 
not include reimbursement for the individual's time spent lobbying that would have 
been otherwise compensated by an employer or in the course of the individual's 
employment.
C.  "Employee from the executive branch in the unclassified service" has the same 
meaning as in Title 5, section 7032, subsection 6-A.
D.  "Lobbying" has the same meaning as in section 312-A, subsection 9.
2.  Lobbying prohibited.  Beginning December 4, 2024, a former officer or employee 
in the classified service or a former employee from the executive branch in the unclassified 
service of this State or a person who was employed in a position for which the salary is 
subject to adjustment by the Governor under Title 2, section 6 or that is described as a 
major policy-influencing position under Title 5, chapter 71 may not engage in compensated 
lobbying until one year after the termination of the employee's executive branch 
employment.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits, beginning with the convening of the 132nd Legislature, former 
executive branch employees and officers, including former officers or employees in the 
classified service, former employees in the unclassified service and persons who held a 
position for which the salary is subject to adjustment by the Governor or that is a major 
policy-influencing position, from engaging in compensated lobbying until one year after 
the termination of the executive branch employment.