An Act to Notify School Boards and Select Boards That Lobbying Associations Are Not Governmental Agencies
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1297
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: ANDREWS, ADAMS, BAGSHAW, GREENWOOD, LYMAN, POLEWARCZYK, SAMPSON, SOBOLESKI
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1259, 30-A MRSA §2534

Legislative Document
No. 1297
H.P. 822
House of Representatives, March 23, 2023
An Act to Notify School Boards and Select Boards That Lobbying 
Associations Are Not Governmental Agencies
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ANDREWS of Paris.
Cosponsored by Representatives: ADAMS of Lebanon, BAGSHAW of Windham, 
GREENWOOD of Wales, LYMAN of Livermore Falls, POLEWARCZYK of Wiscasset, 
SAMPSON of Alfred, SOBOLESKI of Phillips.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1259 is enacted to read:
§1259.  Notice of nongovernmental agencies influencing school board directors
1. Notice of nongovernmental entity.  A nongovernmental agency or organization or 
other private entity that has as its mission or purpose or as part of its activities the 
influencing of a school board, a director of a school board or school board affairs shall 
register with the secretary of the school board prior to having contact with, submitting 
information to or engaging in an official capacity the school board or a director of that 
school board.
2. Director form.  Upon taking office, a director of a school board shall read and sign 
a form with a list of all nongovernmental entities registering under subsection 1 prepared 
by the school board secretary stating that the director understands and acknowledges that a 
nongovernmental entity on the list is not a governmental agency, has no governmental 
authority and is a private organization that has as its mission or purpose or as part of its 
activities the influencing of school boards, directors of school boards or school board 
affairs. An executed form under this subsection must be kept as part of the records of the 
school board.
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §2534 is enacted to read:
§2534.  Notice of nongovernmental agencies influencing municipal officials
1. Notice of nongovernmental entity.  A nongovernmental agency or organization or 
other private entity that has as its mission or purpose or as part of its activities the 
influencing of a select board, an elected municipal official or municipal affairs shall register 
with the municipal clerk prior to having contact with, submitting information to or 
engaging in an official capacity the select board or a municipal official of that municipality.
2. Municipal official form.  Upon taking office, an elected municipal official shall 
read and sign a form with a list of all nongovernmental entities registering under subsection 
prepared by the municipal clerk stating that the municipal official understands and 
acknowledges that a nongovernmental entity on the list is not a governmental agency, has 
no governmental authority and is a private organization that has as its mission or purpose 
or as part of its activities the influencing of select boards, elected municipal officials or 
municipal affairs. An executed form under this subsection must be kept as part of the 
records of the select board.
SUMMARY
This bill requires nongovernmental agencies or organizations or other private entities 
that have as their mission or purpose or as part of their activities the influencing of school 
boards, select boards, school board directors, elected municipal officials or school board or 
municipal affairs to register with the secretary of the school board or municipal clerk prior 
to having contact with, submitting information to or engaging in an official capacity the 
school board, select board, school board directors or elected municipal officials.  School 
board directors and elected municipal officials are required to sign forms acknowledging 
that nongovernmental entities on the list are not governmental agencies, have no 
governmental authority and are private entities that have as their mission or purpose or as 
part of their activities the influencing of school boards, select boards, school board 
directors, elected municipal officials or school board or municipal affairs.