The staff of the Maine Ethics Commission (MEC) will propose legislation to the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices at a meeting on December 8, 2016, to enhance the public’s understanding of major contributors to political committees.

The statutory proposal would require national organizations contributing more than $100,000 to Maine-based political committees to file a one-time report with MEC detailing basic contact information about the national organization, a responsible officer, the form of the organization, and a description of its purpose. The report would require the organization to provide the top five sources of funding received during the previous 12 months. Failure to file a report could result in a $50,000 penalty.

If the statutory proposal is approved by the commissioners, it would then go to the Legislature for consideration.

Lobbying

California: “EBay Faces Fines from State Ethics Watchdog after Failing to Disclose Sacramento Lobbying on Time” by Patrick McGreevy for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Proposal Would Require PACs to Disclose Major Donors” by Steve Mistler for Maine Public Radio

Wisconsin: “After Conviction, Schmitt May Not Seek Re-election” by Adam Rodewall for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ethics

“Trump Sold All Shares in Companies in June, Spokesman Says” by Drew Harwell and Rosalind Helderman for The Washington Post

California: “L.A. Ethics Commission Investigating LAPD’s Watchdog Over Handling of Special Inmate’s Jail Log” by Kate Mather for Los Angeles Times

Florida: “Broward Corruption Cop Sets Up Fight with Cities Over Ethics Reforms” by Brittany Wallman for South Florida Sun Sentinel

Minnesota: “10 U Officials Had Free Access to MSFA Suites at Vikings Stadium” by Rochelle Olson for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Elections

Colorado: “Amendment 71 Made It Harder to Get Initiatives on the Ballot – What Happens Now?” by Brian Eason for The Denver Post

Redistricting

“Justices Wrestle with Role of Race in Redistricting” by Adam Liptak for The New York Times

Lobbying

“U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue Announces Revamp of Group’s Lobbying Arm” by Catherine Ho for The Washington Post

“Trump Team Sets Broader Limits on Lobbying by Former Staff“ by Michael Shear and Eric Lipton for The New York Times

Alabama: “Strange’s Office Asked Groups for Input on Ethics Law” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Florida: “Senate, House Differ on Lobbyist, Budget Rules” by Brandon Larrabee (News Service of Florida) for Sunshine State News

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Maine Ethics Commission Proposes New Campaign Finance Rules” by Christopher Cousins (Bangor Daily News) for Maine Sun Journal

“Federal Prosecutors Open Criminal Grand Jury Probe of Thornton Law Firm Donations” by Andrea Estes (The Boston Globe) and Viveca Novak for Center for Responsive Politics

Ethics

“Rudolph Giuliani’s Business Ties Viewed as Red Flag for Secretary of State Job” by Mark Landler, Eric Lipton and Jo Becker for The New York Times

New York: “Cuomo to Limit Campaign Cash, Create Watchdogs” by Jon Campbell for The Journal News

Elections

“Political Divide Splits Relationships – and Thanksgiving, Too” by Sabrina Tavernise and Katharine Q. Seelye for The New York Times

“Rights Groups See ‘Unprecedented’ Support in Wake of Election” by Sandhya Somashekhar for The Washington Post

Several citizen’s initiatives were approved by Maine voters last night. Ranked-choice voting will replace the current election system (IB 2); a tax surcharge will be imposed on certain households to increase funding for public schools (IB 3); minimum wage will be raised to $12 an hour by 2020.  Maine will be the first state to institute ranked-choice voting.

The new system ensures the winning candidate in a multicandidate race receives the majority vote because voters rank candidates in order of preference.

If a candidate does not receive 50 percent of first-choice votes, then the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and votes are retabulated.

Gov. Paul LePage stated he would not be resigning over his alleged racist remarks and profanity-laced voicemail to Rep. Drew Gattine. LePage has publicly apologized to the citizens of Maine and privately to Gattine for his actions.

Democratic members of the Legislature wanted a special session in order to issue an official censure of LePage’s behavior.

On August 29, 2016, Republican legislative leaders responded to the controversy by convening a closed-door meeting with LePage to discuss his future in politics.

Photo of Gov. Paul LePage by MattGagnon on Wikimedia Commons.

On August 31, 2016, the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices adopted a rule clarifying the “house party” exception from the definition of contribution. Following complaints the exception amounted to undisclosed contributions, the commission adopted a rule stating the costs of food and beverages are exempt only if they relate to the personal services provided by the volunteer and only if paid for by a single volunteer.

The rule will be effective following certification from the secretary of state.

Gov. Paul LePage stated he is going to call the Legislature back for a special session this summer.

LePage said the special session will address the deficit in funding and resources created by the passage of four separate laws by the Legislature.

The dates of the special session have yet to be announced.

A record five citizen’s initiatives are set to hit the November ballot.

If all five initiatives pass, ranked-choice voting would replace the current election system (IB 2), a tax surcharge would be imposed on certain households to increase funding for public schools (IB 3), minimum wage would be raised to $12 an hour by 2020, background checks would be required for private gun sales (IB 5), and marijuana use would be legal (IB 6).

Ranked-choice voting ensures the winning candidate, in a multi-candidate race, receives the majority vote because voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate does not receive 50 percent of first-choice votes, then the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and votes are retabulated.

Despite the Legislature’s intention to kill the bill version of IB 2 in March, voters have the opportunity to pass the initiative this November, much like the passage of IB 1 in November 2015, which revamped campaign finance laws.

If successful, Maine would be the first state to institute ranked-choice voting.

The second regular session of the 127th Legislature adjourned sine die April 29, 2016.

The statutory adjournment date was April 20, 2016; however, the Legislature spent an additional nine days in session.

Legislators successfully overturned 20 of the 30 vetoes by Gov. Paul LePage.

Photo of the Maine State House by Albany NY on Wikimedia Commons.

Following the resignation of State Sen. David Dutremble, Gov. LePage has set a date for a special election to fill the empty District 32 seat. The special election will be held on March 29.

Democrats, Republicans, and members of the Green party must hold caucuses to name a candidate by February 16.

State Senator David Dutremble has announced his resignation from the senate after serving there for the past four years. Dutremble cited the demands of splitting his time between working as a firefighter and senator as the primary reason for his resignation.

Governor LePage will call for a special election to fill the senate seat, but has not yet announced a date.

The Maine Ethics Commission handed down two penalties today for lobbying and campaign finance law violations.  Joel Allumbaugh, a lobbyist for a Florida-based think tank, was fined $50 for failing to disclose his status as a paid lobbyist to a legislative committee.  Allumbaugh faced up to a $5,000 fine, and is the first lobbyist to be punished under a 2006 state lobbying disclosure law.

State Representative Diane Russell was also fined by the Maine Ethics Commission after she omitted over $1,200 in expenditures from her political action committee.  Russell faced a potential $10,000 fine, but members of the Commission decided on a reduction to $2,000.

Governor LePage has requested a special session during an appearance before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. LePage is urging the committee to readdress the state budget and to reconsider additional funding to address the drug crisis facing the state.

In Maine, special sessions can be called by either the governor or the Legislature.

On November 4, 2015, voters in Maine approved a ballot initiative expanding the state’s public campaign financing system.  The initiative increases both election transparency and the total pool of money available to qualifying candidates. Organizations behind political advertisements must now disclose their top three donors and will face increased penalties for campaign finance law violations.

The new requirements will be effective 30 days after the Governor proclaims the official results of the election.