This bill updates campaign finance disclosure laws as follows.
1. It defines "public communication" to clarify which types of communications to voters must disclose the person who financed the communication and require the filing of an independent expenditure report.
2. It authorizes the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices to assess a penalty of up to 5 times the amount of the contribution when a person has made a contribution in the name of another or knowingly permitted the person's name to be used to effect such a contribution.
3. It eliminates from the definition of "contribution" in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, section 1012 a contract, promise or agreement to give money or something of value to influence an election, which also affects cross-references to that term in Title 1 regarding legislative ethics and Title 3 regarding lobbyist disclosure procedures.
4. It requires that the website of a candidate, party committee, political action committee or ballot question committee that advocates for or against a candidate or ballot question must identify the person who financed the website.
5. It authorizes county and municipal candidates, and legislative candidates in a primary election, to make an online affirmation that they will not receive contributions or make expenditures to promote their elections in order to obtain an exemption from campaign finance reporting.
6. It requires the commission to send 2 written notices by regular mail and e-mail before initiating any penalty proceeding when a committee or other person fails to file a campaign finance report.
7. It eliminates the requirement for the commission to post a public list of candidates and political committees that have filed campaign finance reports late.
8. It clarifies that an organization that receives contributions or makes expenditures exceeding $5,000 to influence a municipal referendum in a town or city with a population of less than 15,000 must register and file campaign finance reports with the commission.
9. It requires text messages that expressly advocate for or against a ballot question to disclose the name of the person that financed the messages when that person has spent more than $500 on the messaging campaign.
10. It requires account statements maintained by political action committees and ballot question committees to cover the financial activity in the committee's campaign account generally, not just the committee's deposits.
11. It clarifies that state campaign finance law applies to the financial activities of candidates, party committees, political action committees and others to influence elections for municipal office in towns and cities with a population of 15,000 or more.
12. It clarifies that disclaimer, record-keeping and other requirements in state campaign finance law pertaining to ballot question elections apply to municipal referenda and initiatives.
13. It exempts certain telephone calls from the requirements applicable to political communications.
14. It removes certain notices that the commission is required to provide when certain reports have not been filed.