An Act to Increase Transparency in State Government by
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1814
Sponsors: HICKMAN, LEE
Amends: 3 MRSA §312-A, 3 MRSA §315-A, 3 MRSA §316, 3 MRSA §317, 3 MRSA §317-A, 3 MRSA §319-B

Legislative Document
No. 1814
S.P. 708
In Senate, April 29, 2025
An Act to Increase Transparency in State Government by 
Amending Laws Regarding Persons Attempting to Influence the 
Competitive Bidding Process and Lobbyist Reporting During Rule-
making Processes
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on April 25, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Representative LEE of Auburn and
Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, DUSON of Cumberland, FARRIN of Somerset, GROHOSKI 
of Hancock, TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin, Representative: EDER of Waterboro.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  1 MRSA c. 25, sub-c. 4 is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 4
INFLUENCE ON COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS
§1061.  Definitions  
As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1.  Attempting to influence competitive bidding process.  "Attempting to influence 
the competitive bidding process" means to communicate directly with any official or 
employee within the Bureau of General Services or in any department or agency of the 
State for the purpose of influencing the award of any orders, grants or contracts by the 
Director of the Bureau of General Services when reimbursement for expenditures or 
compensation is made for those activities.
2.  Communicate.  "Communicate" has the same meaning as in Title 3, section 312-A, 
subsection 3.
3.  Compensation.  "Compensation" has the same meaning as in Title 3, section 312-A, 
subsection 4.
4.  Employer.  "Employer" has the same meaning as in Title 3, section 312-A, 
subsection 5.
5.  Reimbursement.  "Reimbursement" has the same meaning as in Title 3, section 
312-A, subsection 14.
§1062.  Registration required
Any person who is specifically employed by another person for the purpose of 
attempting to influence the competitive bidding process is required to register with the 
commission as provided by this section.
1.  Registration.  When a person engages in attempting to influence the competitive 
bidding process on behalf of an employer, the person is required to register with the 
commission within 10 calendar days in the manner prescribed in subsection 2.
2.  Registration forms.  The commission shall prepare and make available registration 
forms for the registration of persons under this section. A person shall complete a 
registration form for each employer on whose behalf that person has engaged in attempting 
to influence the competitive bidding process. These forms must include the following 
information:
A.  The name of the person employed by another person for the purpose of attempting 
to influence the competitive bidding process and the name of the employer;
B.  The business address and other contact information for the person attempting to 
influence the competitive bidding process and the business address and other contact 
information for the employer;
C.  The date upon which attempting to influence the competitive bidding process on 
behalf of the employer commenced;
D.  A description of the employer's business activity or mission or a description of the 
industry, trade or profession that the employer represents;
E.  A list of any bids submitted by the employer to the State in the previous 12 months, 
which must specify whether any of those bids resulted in awarded orders, grants or 
contracts;
F.  The address of the employer's publicly accessible website; and
G.  The amount of compensation the person attempting to influence the competitive 
bidding process will receive for that person's services or, if an exact amount is 
unascertainable, the basis upon which the person will charge for those services.
3.  Registration fee.  The fee for a registration pursuant to subsection 2 may not exceed 
$250 annually per employer.
§1063.  Reports to commission; publicly accessible lists  
1.  Reports to commission.  A person registered under this subchapter is required to 
submit reports to the commission by 11:59 p.m. on the 15th day of the calendar month 
concerning the person's attempting to influence the competitive bidding process for the 
previous month for each registration. If the person did not engage in attempting to influence 
the competitive bidding process, the person must file a report stating that the person did 
not engage in attempting to influence the competitive bidding process for that employer in 
the reporting period. The report must contain the following information:
A.  The dates to which the report pertains;
B.  The name and address of the person attempting to influence the competitive bidding 
process and the employer;
C.  The total amount of compensation the person attempting to influence the 
competitive bidding process received or expects to receive for those activities during 
the time period represented in the report. Compensation must be reported separately 
for any order, grant or contract the person attempted to influence; 
D.  The total amount of expenditures made or incurred by the person during the time 
period represented in the report for the purpose of attempting to influence the 
competitive bidding process for which the person has been or expects to be reimbursed. 
Expenditures must be reported separately for any order, grant or contract the person 
attempted to influence; 
E.  For each expenditure of $25 or more reported under paragraph D, the person making 
the expenditure and the date, amount and purpose of the expenditure and the name of 
the person on whose behalf the expenditure was made; and
F.  A list of any order, grant or contract for which the person engaged in attempting to 
influence the competitive bidding process.
2.  Publicly accessible lists.  The commission shall develop and maintain a publicly 
accessible website that displays:
A.  A list of all persons who have current registrations under this section with the 
commission; 
B.  A list of all orders, grants or contracts that a person has engaged in attempting to 
influence as reported under subsection 1;
C.  A list of all employers that have employed a person to engage in attempting to 
influence the competitive bidding process; and
D.  The monthly reports filed under subsection 1.
§1064.  Violations  
A person who fails to register under section 1062, who fails to file a report within 30 
days of the deadline for filing under section 1063, subsection 1 or who fails to disclose 
information required under this subchapter is prohibited from attempting to influence the 
competitive bidding process for a period not to exceed one year. An employee of the Bureau 
of General Services or any department or agency of the State or any member of the public 
may file a complaint with the commission alleging a violation of this subchapter. The 
commission shall notify any interested parties and shall investigate any apparent violations 
of this subchapter. 
§1065.  Disposition of fees  
Fees collected pursuant to this subchapter must be deposited into a special revenue 
account of the commission to be used for the purposes of administering and enforcing the 
provisions of this subchapter, including the costs of obtaining, maintaining, modifying or 
upgrading technology to facilitate disclosure of information to the public as required under 
this subchapter. 
§1066.  Rules  
The commission shall adopt rules regarding the registration of and the reporting 
requirement for a person attempting to influence the competitive bidding process, including 
establishing fees and reporting deadlines as outlined in this subchapter. Rules adopted 
pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§7-B, as amended by PL 2019, c. 599, §1 and 
affected by §5, is further amended to read:
7-B.  Grassroots lobbying.  "Grassroots lobbying" means to communicate with 
members of the general public to solicit them to communicate directly with any covered 
official for the purpose of influencing legislative action, other than legislation that is before 
the Legislature as a result of a direct initiative in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, 
Article IV, Part Third, Section 18, or proposed agency rule when that solicitation is made 
by:
A.  A broadcast, cable or satellite transmission;
B.  A communication delivered by print media;
C.  A letter or other written communication delivered by mail or by comparable 
delivery service;
D.  A communication delivered by e-mail, a website or any other digital format;
E.  Telephone; or
F.  A method of communication similar to those listed in paragraphs A to E.
"Grassroots lobbying" does not include a person communicating with the person's 
stockholders, employees, board members, officers or dues-paying members.
Sec. 3.  3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§9, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §6, is further 
amended to read:
9.  Lobbying.  "Lobbying" means to communicate directly with any official in the 
legislative branch or any official in the executive branch or with a constitutional officer for 
the purpose of influencing any legislative action or; with the Governor or the Governor's 
cabinet and staff for the purpose of influencing the approval or veto of a legislative action; 
or with any official in the executive branch for the purpose of influencing any rulemaking 
authorized pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A when reimbursement for 
expenditures or compensation is made for those activities. "Lobbying" includes the time 
spent to prepare and submit to the Governor, an official in the legislative branch, an official 
in the executive branch, a constitutional officer or a legislative committee oral and written 
proposals for, or testimony or analyses concerning, a legislative action or proposed agency 
rule. "Lobbying" does not include time spent by any person providing information to or 
participating in a subcommittee, stakeholder group, task force or other work group 
regarding a legislative action or proposed agency rule by the appointment or at the request 
of the Governor, a Legislator or legislative committee, a constitutional officer, a state 
agency commissioner or the chair of a state board or commission.
Sec. 4.  3 MRSA §312-A, sub-§13-A is enacted to read:
13-A.  Proposed agency rule.  "Proposed agency rule" has the same meaning as in 
Title 5, section 8002, subsection 8-A.
Sec. 5.  3 MRSA §315-A, sub-§2, ¶E, as amended by PL 2011, c. 179, §2, is further 
amended to read:
E.  For each employer, a list of all legislative actions or proposed agency rules that 
have been the subject of lobbying for the year, including hyperlinks to the summary 
page of the Legislature's publicly accessible website for each legislative document 
listed or to the agency's publicly accessible website for rule-making activity;
Sec. 6.  3 MRSA §316, sub-§4-A, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 630, §12, is amended 
to read:
4-A.  Legislative and agency interests.  The general areas of legislation or rulemaking 
that the employer is attempting to influence;
Sec. 7.  3 MRSA §316, sub-§4-B, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 630, §12, is amended 
to read:
4-B.  Legislative committees and agencies.  The joint standing committees of the 
Legislature or the agencies that the lobbyist expects to lobby during the year;
Sec. 8.  3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2019, c. 587, §13 and 
affected by §18, is further amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read:
In the case of a lobbyist or lobbyist associate who is a regular employee of the 
employer, the amount of compensation must be computed by multiplying the number 
of hours devoted to the preparation of documents and research for the primary purpose 
of influencing legislative action or proposed agency rule and to lobbying by the 
employee's regular rate of pay based on a 40-hour week;
Sec. 9.  3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶E-1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 599, §3 and 
affected by §5, is further amended to read:
E-1.  When expenditures made or incurred for the purposes of grassroots lobbying 
exceed $2,000 during the month that is the subject of the report, the specific dollar 
amount of expenditures for grassroots lobbying made or incurred during the month by 
a lobbyist, lobbyist associate or employer, with separate totals for expenditure 
categories as determined by the commission, and the legislative actions or proposed 
agency rules that are the subject of the grassroots lobbying.  Salaries paid to the 
employer's regular employees are not expenditures for the purposes of this paragraph 
and are exempt from disclosure under this paragraph;
Sec. 10.  3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶H, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §14, is further 
amended to read:
H.  A list of each legislative action by Legislative Document legislative document 
number, specific issue, nomination, proposed agency rule or other matter in connection 
with which the lobbyist is engaged in lobbying;
Sec. 11.  3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶I, as amended by PL 2019, c. 587, §13 and 
affected by §18, is further amended to read:
I.  A list specifically identifying each legislative action or proposed agency rule for 
which the lobbyist and lobbyist associates were compensated or expect to be 
compensated, or expended in excess of $1,000 for lobbying related to those actions or 
proposed agency rules and a statement of the amounts compensated or expended for 
each; and
Sec. 12.  3 MRSA §317-A, sub-§1, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 599, §4 and 
affected by §5, is amended to read:
F.  The legislative actions or proposed agency rules that are the subject of the grassroots 
lobbying; and
Sec. 13.  3 MRSA §319-B is enacted to read:
§319-B.  Public comment before agency; lobbyist
1.  Disclosure of compensation.  A lobbyist or lobbyist associate who provides public 
comment on a proposed agency rule shall disclose to the agency as a part of the public 
comment the name of the person or organization that the lobbyist or lobbyist associate is 
representing. A lobbyist or lobbyist associate shall disclose to the agency proposing the 
rule orally or in written form the name of any person who is being compensated by the 
lobbyist or lobbyist associate or by the person or organization that the lobbyist or lobbyist 
associate is representing to provide public comment before that agency.
2.  Report of violation.  An official in the executive branch or a member of the public 
may file a complaint with the commission alleging a violation of this section. The 
commission shall notify all interested parties and shall investigate any apparent violations 
of this section.
3.  Suspension; fine.  If a lobbyist or lobbyist associate fails to disclose information 
required in subsection 1, the commission may:
A.  Suspend the lobbyist or lobbyist associate from further lobbying by written notice 
of the commission; and
B.  Assess a fine of up to $5,000 against the lobbyist or lobbyist associate.
SUMMARY
This bill requires any person who is specifically employed by another person for the 
purpose of attempting to influence the competitive bidding process to register with the 
Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices for each employer and to 
submit monthly reports regarding activity, expenditures and compensation associated with 
attempting to influence any order, grant or contract on behalf of that employer. The bill 
requires the commission to create and maintain a publicly accessible website that displays 
this information to the public.
It also expands the definition of "lobbying" and "grassroots lobbying" to include 
communicating directly with any official in the executive branch for the purpose of 
influencing any rulemaking. 
It requires a lobbyist or lobbyist associate who provides public comment on a proposed 
agency rule to disclose to the agency the name of the person or organization that lobbyist 
or lobbyist associate is representing in the same manner as when testifying before a joint 
select or joint standing committee of the Legislature.