Maine LD 1721: An Act To Amend The Campaign Reports And Finances Laws And The Maine Clean Election Act

Bill Text

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An Act To Amend the Campaign Reports and Finances Laws and the Maine Clean Election Act
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA �1002, sub-�1-A, �D, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 470, �2, is amended to read:

D. Two initial appointees are appointed for one-year terms, 2 are appointed for 2-year terms and one is appointed for a 3-year term, according to a random lot drawing under the supervision of the Secretary of State. Subsequent appointees are appointed to serve 3-year terms. A person may not serve more than 2 consecutive terms, except that if a person is appointed to fill the unexpired portion of a term to fill a vacancy under paragraph F and that portion is less than 2 years, the person may serve 2 consecutive full terms thereafter.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA �1001, sub-�2, as amended by PL 2017, c. 475, Pt. A, �27, is further amended to read:

2. Election. "Election" means any primary, general or special election for state or county office or municipal office pursuantin a municipality subject to Title 30-A, section 2502, subsection 1 and any referendum, including a municipal referendum in a municipality subject to Title 30-A, section 2502, subsection 2.
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA �1003, sub-�3-A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 470, �1, is further amended to read:

3-A. Confidential records. Investigative working papers of the commission are confidential, except that the commission may disclose them to the subject of the audit or investigation, other entities as necessary for the conduct of an audit or investigation and law enforcement and other agencies for purposes of reporting, investigating or prosecuting a criminal or civil violation. For purposes of this subsection, "investigative working papers" means documents, records and other printed or electronic information in the following limited categories that are acquired, prepared or maintained by the commission during the conduct of an audit, investigation or other enforcement matter:

A. Financial information not normally available to the public;

B. Information that, if disclosed, would reveal sensitive political or campaign information belonging to a party committee, political action committee, ballot question committee, candidate or candidate's political committee, or other person who is the subject of an audit, investigation or other enforcement matter, even if the information is in the possession of a vendor or 3rd party;

C. Information or records subject to a privilege against discovery or use as evidence; and

D. Intra-agency or interagency communications related to an audit or investigation, including any record of an interview, meeting or examination.

The commission may disclose investigative working papers or discuss them at a public meeting, except for the information or records subject to a privilege against discovery or use as evidence, if the information or record is materially relevant to a finding of fact, violation or othermemorandum or interim or final report by the commission staff or a decision by the commission concerning an audit, investigation or other enforcement matter. A memorandum or report on the audit or investigation prepared by staff for the commission may be disclosed at the time it is submitted to the commission, as long as the subject of the audit or investigation has an opportunity to review it first to identify material that the subject of the audit or investigation considers privileged or confidential under some other provision of law.
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA �1013-A, sub-�3, as amended by PL 1995, c. 483, �5, is further amended to read:

3. Party committees. The state, district and, county and municipal committees of parties shall submit to the commissiontheir state party committees the names and, mailing addresses and e-mail addresses of all their officers and of their treasurers and the name and address of the principal paid employee, if any, within 3010 days after the appointment, election or hiring of these persons. Municipal committees mustshall file copies of the same information with the commission and the municipal clerk. District, county and municipal committees that provide their state party committees with the information required by this subsection to be submitted to the commission have met that requirement. No later than the 2nd Monday in AprilJune 15th of each year in which a general election is scheduled, the state party committee of a party shall submit to the commission a consolidated report, including the information required under this subsection, forof the names, mailing addresses and e-mail addresses of the chair and treasurer of the district, county and municipal committees of that party or of another officer if a chair or treasurer has not been appointed.
Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA �1014, sub-�2-A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 362