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An Act To Ensure Integrity in Financing Publicly Funded Campaigns
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6,  as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read:
 
6. Restrictions on contributions and expenditures for certified candidates.   After certification, a candidate must limit the candidate's campaign expenditures and obligations, including outstanding obligations, to the revenues distributed to the candidate from the fund and may not accept any contributions unless specifically authorized by the commission. CandidatesCertified candidates may also accept and spend interest earned on fund revenues in campaign bank accounts. All revenues distributed to a certified candidate from the fund must be used for campaign-related purposes. The candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's committee authorized pursuant to section 1013-A, subsection 1 or any agent of the candidate and committee may not use these revenues for any but campaign-related purposes. A certified candidate may not spend fund revenues on payments to the candidate, a member of the candidate's immediate family, a person who contributes to the candidate’s household finances or a business or nonprofit entity affiliated with the candidate or a member of the candidate’s family except to make payment for goods or property provided to the candidate's campaign. A certified candidate may not use fund revenues to pay or reimburse a member of the candidate's immediate family for services provided to the campaign. The commission shall publish guidelines outlining permissible campaign-related expenditures.
 
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits a Maine Clean Election Act candidate from spending Maine Clean Election Act funds on himself or herself, a member of the candidate’s immediate family or a business affiliated with the candidate. It also prohibits the use of Maine Clean Election Act funds to pay or reimburse a member of the candidate’s immediate family for services provided to the candidate’s campaign.