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An Act To Clarify Reporting of Contributions and Expenditures by Persons Involving a Ballot Question
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1052, sub-§4-A  is enacted to read:
 
4-A.  Expressly advocate.     "Expressly advocate" means to communicate in a way that in context can have no other meaning than to urge the election or defeat of a candidate, party or ballot question.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1056-B, first ¶,  as enacted by PL 1999, c. 729, §8, is amended to read:
Any person not defined as a political committee who solicits and receives contributions or makes expenditures, other than by contribution to a political action committee, aggregating in excess of $1,500expressly advocates or purchases political advertising for the purpose of initiating, promoting, defeating or influencing in any way a ballot question must file a report with the commission. In the case of a municipal election, a copy of the same information must be filed with the clerk of that municipality.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the reporting requirement for a person engaged in political activity from a person who solicits and receives or makes expenditures aggregating in excess of $1,500 in regards to a ballot question to a person who expressly advocates or purchases political advertising in regards to a ballot question.