An Act To Require Maine Clean Election Act Candidates To Purchase Services from Maine-based Companies
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2011, c. 389, §54, is further amended to read:
6. Restrictions on contributions and expenditures for certified candidates. After certification, a candidate must limit the candidate's campaign expenditures and obligations, including outstanding obligations, to the revenues distributed to the candidate from the fund and may not accept any contributions unless specifically authorized by the commission. Candidates may also accept and spend interest earned on fund revenues in campaign bank accounts. All revenues distributed to a certified candidate from the fund must be used for campaign-related purposes. The candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's committee authorized pursuant to section 1013-A, subsection 1 or any agent of the candidate and committee may not use these revenues for any but campaign-related purposes. If the candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's committee authorized pursuant to section 1013-A, subsection 1 or any agent of the candidate and committee uses these revenues to purchase services, the services must be purchased from a business with an office in this State unless no such business is available to provide the services. The commission shall publish guidelines outlining permissible campaign-related expenditures.
summary
This bill provides that services purchased by a candidate with funds from the Maine Clean Election Fund must be purchased from a business with an office in this State unless no such business is available to provide the services.