An Act to Clarify Required Political Committees 24-hour Reports
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1811
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: TERRY
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1015, 21-A MRSA §1017-A, 21-A MRSA §1020-A, 21-A MRSA §1059

Legislative Document
No. 1811
H.P. 1156
House of Representatives, April 25, 2023
An Act to Clarify Required Political Committees 24-hour Reports
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative TERRY of Gorham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1015, sub-§2, ¶A, as amended by PL 2021, c. 607, §1 and 
affected by §5, is further amended to read:
A.  A party committee under section 1013‑A, subsection 3, a ballot question committee, 
a leadership political action committee, a separate segregated fund committee, a caucus 
political action committee and any other political action committee may make 
contributions to a candidate in support of the candidacy of one person aggregating no 
more than the amount that an individual may contribute to that candidate under 
subsection 1 $25,000, except that the committee may not make any monetary 
contributions to a candidate using funds that derive, in whole or in part, from a business 
entity.  Nothing in this paragraph prohibits a separate segregated fund committee that 
receives nonmonetary contributions from a business entity under section 1056‑D, 
subsection 2, paragraph A from making monetary contributions to a candidate within 
the limits described in this paragraph.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1017-A, sub-§4-A, ¶E, as amended by PL 2019, c. 323, 
§12, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §1017-A, sub-§4-B, ¶C, as amended by PL 2019, c. 323, 
§13, is repealed.
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §1020-A, sub-§5-A, ¶B, as amended by PL 2019, c. 323, 
§19, is further amended to read:
B.  Five thousand dollars for state party committee reports required under section 
1017‑A, subsection 4‑A, paragraphs A, B, and C and E, except that if the dollar amount 
of the financial activity that was not timely filed or did not substantially conform to the 
reporting requirements of this subchapter exceeds $50,000, the maximum penalty is 
100% of the dollar amount of that financial activity;
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §1059, sub-§2, ¶E, as amended by PL 2019, c. 323, §24, is 
further amended to read:
E.  If a ballot question committee is required to file a report 11 days before an election 
pursuant to paragraph B or C, the ballot question committee shall report any single 
contribution of $5,000 or more received or single expenditure of $1,000 $5,000 or more 
made after the 14th day before the election and more than 24 hours before 5:00 p.m. 
on the day of the election within 24 hours of that contribution or expenditure. If a 
committee under section 1053-B is required to file a report 11 days before an election 
pursuant to paragraph B or C, that committee shall report any single contribution of 
$5,000 or more received or single expenditure of $1,000 or more made after the 14th 
day before the election and more than 24 hours before 5:00 p.m. on the day of the 
election within 24 hours of that contribution or expenditure. The treasurer is not 
required to include in this report reports under this paragraph expenditures for overhead 
expenses or compensation paid to an employee or other member of the campaign staff 
who has received payments at regular intervals that have been disclosed in previously 
filed campaign finance reports. As used in this paragraph, "overhead expenses" 
includes, but is not limited to, rent, utility payments, taxes, insurance premiums or 
similar administrative expenses.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the 24-hour reporting requirements of committees in the election laws 
by:
1. Eliminating that requirement for political action committees in the State, state party 
committees and municipal, district and county party committees; and
2. Changing from $1,000 to $5,000 the amount of expenditures required to be reported 
by ballot question committees in the State.
The bill also increases to $25,000 the aggregate amount that a party committee, a ballot 
question committee, a leadership political action committee, a separate segregated fund 
committee, a caucus political action committee and any other political action committee 
can contribute to a candidate in support of the candidacy of one person.