An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Lobbyist Disclosure
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 3 MRSA §315-A, sub-§2, ¶E, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §11, is further amended to read:
E. For each employer, a list of all legislative actions that have been the subject of lobbying for the year, including hyperlinks to the summary page of the Legislature's publicly accessible website for each legislative document listed; and
Sec. 2. 3 MRSA §315-A, sub-§2, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 630, §11, is amended to read:
F. A list of officials in the executive branch as defined in section 312-A, subsection 10-C . ; and
Sec. 3. 3 MRSA §315-A, sub-§2, ¶G is enacted to read:
G. An online photographic guide to registered lobbyists and lobbyist associates organized by each joint standing committee of the Legislature that the lobbyists and lobbyist associates have designated in accordance with section 316, subsection 4-B.
Sec. 4. 3 MRSA §316, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:
Sec. 5. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §14, is further amended to read:
D.
The specific dollar amount of compensation received for the preparation of documents and research for the primary purpose of influencing legislative action and for lobbying activities, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 9, during the month. The amount of compensation received for lobbying officials in the legislative branch, officials in the executive branch and constitutional officers must be reported separately. In the case of a regular employee, the specific dollar amount must be computed by multiplying the number of hours devoted to the preparation of documents and research for the primary purpose of influencing legislative action and to lobbying by the employee's regular rate of pay based on a 40-hour week;
Sec. 6. 3 MRSA §317, sub-§1, ¶E, as amended by PL 2007, c. 630, §14, is further amended to read:
E. The specific dollar amount of expenditures made or incurred by the lobbyist during the month that is the subject of the report with regard to the preparation of documents and research for the primary purpose of influencing legislative action and for purposes of lobbying as defined in section 312-A, subsection 9 for which the lobbyist has been or expects to be reimbursed. The amount of expenditures for lobbying officials in the legislative branch, officials in the executive branch and constitutional officers must be reported separately;
SUMMARY
This bill amends the law governing lobbyist disclosure by:
1. Requiring the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to publish an online photographic guide to lobbyists and lobbyist associates organized by legislative committee and requiring that lobbyists submit photographs unless the lobbyists or lobbyist associates have waivers from the commission; and
2. Restoring language that was removed in Public Law 2007, chapter 630 that requires every registered lobbyist to file in a monthly report the amount of compensation received for and the amount of expenditures made or incurred with regard to the preparation of documents and research for the primary purpose of influencing legislative action.