An Act to Expand Reporting Requirements for Legislators and
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1415
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: HAGGAN
Amends: 1 MRSA §1015-A, 1 MRSA §1016-H, 3 MRSA §317

Legislative Document
No. 1415
S.P. 558
In Senate, April 1, 2025
An Act to Expand Reporting Requirements for Legislators and 
Lobbyists
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HAGGAN of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, GROHOSKI of Hancock, Representatives: 
BOYER of Poland, RIELLY of Westbrook, WARREN of Scarborough.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  1 MRSA §1015-A, sub-§5, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 534, §4, is 
amended to read:
A.  The solicitation, acceptance, offer or gift of money or anything of value for bona 
fide social events hosted for nonpartisan, charitable purposes, including those subject 
to the reporting requirements in section 1016-H and Title 3, section 317, subsection 
1-B.
Sec. 2.  1 MRSA §1016-H is enacted to read:
§1016-H.  Behested payments
When a person makes a behested payment of $200 or more on behalf of a Legislator, 
the Legislator on whose behalf the payment was made shall file a statement with the 
commission no later than 45 days after the date the payment was made.  The statement 
must disclose the name of the person who made the payment, the amount of the payment, 
the name of the organization to which the payment was made and the primary purpose of 
the organization. A behested payment does not include a contribution as defined in Title 
21-A, section 1012, subsection 2.  For the purposes of this section, "behested payment" 
means a payment made to an organization for a legislative, governmental or charitable 
purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made in coordination with, a member of the 
Legislature.
Sec. 3.  3 MRSA §317, sub-§1-B is enacted to read:
1-B.  Behested payments.  A lobbyist or lobbyist associate who makes a behested 
payment on behalf of a Legislator shall notify the Legislator no less than 5 days after the 
payment was made that the payment will be reported pursuant to this subsection. A lobbyist 
or lobbyist associate who makes a behested payment on behalf of a Legislator shall file a 
report pursuant to this subsection.  A behested payment does not include a contribution as 
defined in Title 21-A, section 1012, subsection 2.   For the purpose of this subsection, 
"behested payment" means a payment made to an organization for a legislative, 
governmental or charitable purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made in 
coordination with, a member of the Legislature.
A. A report under this subsection is required for:
(1) Behested payments made by the lobbyist or lobbyist associate to any one 
organization in a calendar year totaling $200 or more; and
(2) Behested payments made by the lobbyist or lobbyist associate to one or more 
organizations in a calendar year totaling $400 or more.
B. The report must include:
(1) The date of the payment or payments;
(2) The name and address of the lobbyist, lobbyist associate or lobbying firm;
(3) The name of the Legislator on whose behalf the payment was made; and
(4) The name of the organization to which the payment was made and the primary 
purpose of the organization.
C. A report under this subsection is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 15th calendar 
day of the month following the month in which the behested payment was made.
SUMMARY
This bill requires lobbyists and Legislators to report behested payments to the 
Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.  Under the bill, behested 
payments are payments made by a lobbyist or other person to an organization for a 
legislative, governmental or charitable purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made 
in coordination with, a member of the Legislature.