An Act To Ensure Integrity in Financing Publicly Funded Campaigns
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1017, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16, is further amended to read:
5. Content. A report required under this section must contain the itemized accounts of contributions received during that report filing period, including the date a contribution was received, and the name, address, occupation, principal place of business, if any, and the amount of the contribution of each person who has made a contribution or contributions aggregating in excess of $50. The report must contain the itemized expenditures made or authorized during the report filing period, the date and purpose of each expenditure and the name of each payee and creditor. If the payee is a member of the candidate's household, the candidate must disclose the family relationship in a manner prescribed by the commission. The report must contain a statement of any loan to a candidate by a financial institution in connection with that candidate's candidacy that is made during the period covered by the report, whether or not the loan is defined as a contribution under section 1012, subsection 2, paragraph A. The candidate and the treasurer are jointly and severally responsible for the timely and accurate filing of each required report.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6-B is enacted to read:
6-B. Expenditures as payment to household members. A candidate may not make expenditures using fund revenues to pay the candidate, a member of the candidate's household or a business, corporation or nonprofit entity in which the candidate or a member of the candidate's household holds a significant proprietary or financial interest, unless the candidate submits evidence according to procedures established by the commission that the expenditure will be made:
A. For a legitimate campaign-related purpose;
B. To an individual or business that provides the goods or services being purchased in the normal course of their occupation or business; and
C. In an amount that is reasonable taking into consideration current market value and other factors the commission may choose to consider.
This subsection does not prohibit reimbursement to a member of a candidate's household when made in accordance with this chapter and rules adopted by the commission.
Effective July 18, 2008