Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1015 – Limitations on contributions and expenditures
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1. Contributions by individuals. An individual may not make contributions to a candidate in support of the candidacy of one person aggregating more than $1,950 in any election for a gubernatorial candidate, more than $475 for a legislative candidate, more than $575 for a candidate for municipal office and more than $975 in any election for any other candidate. This limitation does not apply to contributions in support of a candidate by that candidate or that candidate’s spouse or domestic partner. Beginning December 1, 2024, contribution limits in accordance with this subsection are adjusted every 2 years based on the Consumer Price Index as reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and rounded to the nearest amount divisible by $25. The commission shall post the current contribution limit and the amount of the next adjustment and the date that it will become effective on its publicly accessible website and include this information with any publication to be used as a guide for candidates.
[PL 2023, c. 244, §4 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1015
- Any election: means primary and general elections and referenda, whether regular or special. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Candidate: means any person who has filed a petition under either sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355 and has qualified as a candidate by either procedure, or any person who has received contributions or made expenditures or has given consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with the intent of qualifying as a candidate. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Commission: means the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices established under Title 1, section 1002. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1001
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Domestic partner: means one of 2 unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term arrangements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other's welfare. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
- Donor: The person who makes a gift.
- Election: means any primary, general or special election for state or county office or municipal office in 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. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1001
- Immediate family: means a person's spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, stepparent, stepgrandparent, stepchild, stepgrandchild, stepsister, stepbrother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, guardian, former guardian, domestic partner, the half-brother or half-sister of a person's spouse, or the spouse of a person's half-brother or half-sister. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Influence: means to promote, support, oppose or defeat. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1012
- may: when used in this Title, is used in a permissive sense to grant authority or permission, but not to create duty, to act in the manner specified by the context. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 7
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Party: means a political organization which has qualified to participate in a primary or general election under chapter 5. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Person: means an individual, committee, firm, partnership, corporation, association or organization. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1001
- Political committee: means 2 or more persons associated for the purpose of promoting or defeating a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Question: means any proposition submitted to the voters. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Treasurer: means a person appointed by a candidate or a political committee to accept or disburse money to promote or defeat a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- United States: includes territories and the District of Columbia. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
- Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
2. Contributions by party committees, ballot question committees and political action committees.
[PL 2023, c. 244, §5 (RP).]
2-A. Contributions by business entities.
[PL 2023, c. 244, §6 (RP).]
2-B. Committees; corporations; associations. A political committee, political action committee, ballot question committee or other committee, firm, partnership, corporation, association or organization may not make contributions to a candidate in support of the candidacy of one person aggregating more than $1,950 in any election for a gubernatorial candidate, more than $475 for a legislative candidate, more than $575 for a candidate for municipal office and more than $975 in any election for any other candidate. Beginning December 1, 2024, contribution limits in accordance with this subsection are adjusted every 2 years based on the Consumer Price Index as reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and rounded to the nearest amount divisible by $25. The commission shall post the current contribution limit and the amount of the next adjustment and the date that it will become effective on its publicly accessible website and include this information with any publication to be used as a guide for candidates.
[PL 2023, c. 244, §7 (NEW).]
3. Aggregate contributions.
[PL 2023, c. 324, §9 (RP).]
4. Political committees; intermediaries. For the purpose of the limitations imposed by this section, contributions made to any political committee authorized by a candidate to accept contributions on the candidate’s behalf are considered to be contributions made to that candidate. If the campaign activities of a political action committee within a calendar year primarily promote or support the nomination or election of a single candidate, contributions to the committee that were solicited by the candidate are considered to be contributions made to the candidate for purposes of the limitations in this section. For purposes of this subsection, solicitation of contributions includes but is not limited to the candidate’s appearing at a fundraising event organized by or on behalf of the political action committee or suggesting that a donor make a contribution to that committee.
For the purposes of the limitations imposed by this section, all contributions made by a person, either directly or indirectly, on behalf of a particular candidate, that are in any way earmarked or otherwise directed through an intermediary or conduit to the candidate are considered to be contributions from that person to the candidate. The intermediary or conduit shall report the original source and the intended recipient of the contribution to the commission and to the intended recipient.
[PL 2011, c. 389, §14 (AMD).]
5. Other contributions and expenditures. Any expenditure made by any person in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate’s political committee or their agents is considered to be a contribution to that candidate.
The financing by any person of the dissemination, distribution or republication, in whole or in part, of any broadcast or any written or other campaign materials prepared by the candidate, the candidate’s political committee or committees or their authorized agents is considered to be a contribution to that candidate.
[PL 1989, c. 504, §§7, 31 (AMD).]
6. Prohibited expenditures. A candidate, a treasurer, a political committee, a party or party committee, a person required to file a report under this subchapter or their authorized agents may not make any expenditures for liquor to be distributed to or consumed by voters while the polls are open on election day.
[PL 1991, c. 839, §11 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
7. Voluntary limitations on political expenditures. A candidate may voluntarily agree to limit the total expenditures made on behalf of that candidate’s campaign as specified in section 1013?A, subsection 1, paragraph C and subsections 8 and 9.
[PL 1995, c. 384, §2 (NEW).]
8. Political expenditure limitation amounts. Total expenditures in any election for legislative office by a candidate who voluntarily agrees to limit campaign expenditures as provided in subsection 7 are as follows:
A. For State Senator, $25,000; and [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §14 (AMD).]
B. For State Representative, $5,000. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §14 (AMD).]
C. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §14 (RP).]
Expenditure limits are per election and may not be carried forward from one election to another. For calculation and reporting purposes, the reporting periods established in section 1017 apply.
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §14 (AMD).]
9. Publication of list. The commission shall publish a list of the candidates for State Representative and State Senator who have agreed to voluntarily limit total expenditures for their campaigns as provided in section 1013?A, subsection 1, paragraph C.
For the purposes of subsections 7 and 8 and this subsection, “total expenditures” means the sum of all expenditures made to influence a single election that are made by a candidate or made on the candidate’s behalf by the candidate’s political committee or committees, the candidate’s party or the candidate’s immediate family.
[PL 1995, c. 384, §2 (NEW).]
10. Business entity defined.
[PL 2023, c. 244, §8 (RP).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 504, §§7,31 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 839, §11 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF). IB 1995, c. 1, §11 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 384, §2 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 729, §§2,3 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §§10-14 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 286, §§2, 3 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 382, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 389, §14 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 51, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 51, §3 (AFF). PL 2021, c. 274, §§4-7 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 274, §13 (AFF). PL 2021, c. 607, §1 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 607, §5 (AFF). PL 2023, c. 244, §§4-8 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 324, §9 (AMD).