An Act to Expand Reporting Requirements for Legislators and Lobbyists

Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1415
S.P. 558 In Senate, April 1, 2025
An Act to Expand Reporting Requirements for Legislators and
Lobbyists
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HAGGAN of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, GROHOSKI of Hancock, Representatives:
BOYER of Poland, RIELLY of Westbrook, WARREN of Scarborough.

Page 1 - 132LR1770(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §1015-A, sub-§5, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 534, §4, is
3 amended to read:
4 A. The solicitation, acceptance, offer or gift of money or anything of value for bona
5 fide social events hosted for nonpartisan, charitable purposes, including those subject
6 to the reporting requirements in section 1016-H and Title 3, section 317, subsection
7 1-B.
8Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §1016-H is enacted to read:
9§1016-H. Behested payments
10 When a person makes a behested payment of $200 or more on behalf of a Legislator,
11 the Legislator on whose behalf the payment was made shall file a statement with the
12 commission no later than 45 days after the date the payment was made. The statement
13 must disclose the name of the person who made the payment, the amount of the payment,
14 the name of the organization to which the payment was made and the primary purpose of
15 the organization. A behested payment does not include a contribution as defined in Title
16 21-A, section 1012, subsection 2. For the purposes of this section, "behested payment"
17 means a payment made to an organization for a legislative, governmental or charitable
18 purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made in coordination with, a member of the
19 Legislature.
20Sec. 3. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§1-B is enacted to read:
211-B. Behested payments. A lobbyist or lobbyist associate who makes a behested
22 payment on behalf of a Legislator shall notify the Legislator no less than 5 days after the
23 payment was made that the payment will be reported pursuant to this subsection. A lobbyist
24 or lobbyist associate who makes a behested payment on behalf of a Legislator shall file a
25 report pursuant to this subsection. A behested payment does not include a contribution as
26 defined in Title 21-A, section 1012, subsection 2. For the purpose of this subsection,
27 "behested payment" means a payment made to an organization for a legislative,
28 governmental or charitable purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made in
29 coordination with, a member of the Legislature.
30 A. A report under this subsection is required for:
31 (1) Behested payments made by the lobbyist or lobbyist associate to any one
32 organization in a calendar year totaling $200 or more; and
33 (2) Behested payments made by the lobbyist or lobbyist associate to one or more
34 organizations in a calendar year totaling $400 or more.
35 B. The report must include:
36 (1) The date of the payment or payments;
37 (2) The name and address of the lobbyist, lobbyist associate or lobbying firm;
38 (3) The name of the Legislator on whose behalf the payment was made; and
39 (4) The name of the organization to which the payment was made and the primary
40 purpose of the organization.
Page 2 - 132LR1770(01)
1 C. A report under this subsection is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 15th calendar
2 day of the month following the month in which the behested payment was made.
3SUMMARY
4 This bill requires lobbyists and Legislators to report behested payments to the
5 Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. Under the bill, behested
6 payments are payments made by a lobbyist or other person to an organization for a
7 legislative, governmental or charitable purpose at the suggestion or solicitation of, or made
8 in coordination with, a member of the Legislature.
4
5
6
7
8