An Act To Clarify Disclosure Requirements for Political Statements Broadcast by Radio
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 362, §1, is further amended to read:
1. Authorized by candidate. Whenever a person makes an expenditure to finance a communication expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate through broadcasting stations, cable television systems, newspapers, magazines, campaign signs or other outdoor advertising facilities, publicly accessible sites on the Internet, direct mails or other similar types of general public political advertising or through flyers, handbills, bumper stickers and other nonperiodical publications, the communication, if authorized by a candidate, a candidate's authorized political committee or their agents, must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication has been so authorized and must clearly state the name and address of the person who made or financed the expenditure for the communication , except that if the communication is broadcast by radio, only the city and state of the address must be stated. The following forms of political communication do not require the name and address of the person who made or authorized the expenditure for the communication because the name or address would be so small as to be illegible or infeasible: ashtrays, badges and badge holders, balloons, campaign buttons, clothing, coasters, combs, emery boards, envelopes, erasers, glasses, key rings, letter openers, matchbooks, nail files, noisemakers, paper and plastic cups, pencils, pens, plastic tableware, 12-inch or shorter rulers, swizzle sticks, tickets to fund-raisers, electronic media advertisements where compliance with this section would be impracticable due to size or character limitations and similar items determined by the commission to be too small and unnecessary for the disclosures required by this section. A communication financed by a candidate or the candidate's committee is not required to state the address of the candidate or committee that financed the communication. A communication in the form of a sign that is financed by a candidate or the candidate's committee and that clearly identifies the name of the candidate and is lettered or printed individually by hand is not required to include the name and address of the person who made or financed the communication or to include a statement that the communication has been authorized by the candidate, the candidate's authorized committee or their agents. If a communication that is financed by someone other than the candidate or the candidate's authorized committee is broadcast by radio, only the city and state of the address of the person who financed the communication must be stated.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§6, ¶¶B and C, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 389, §13, are amended to read:
B. Campaign signs produced and distributed at a cost not exceeding $100, paid for by one or more individuals who are not required to register or file campaign finance reports with the commission and who are acting independently of and without authorization by a candidate, candidate's authorized campaign committee, party committee, political action committee or ballot question committee or an agent of a candidate, candidate's authorized campaign committee, party committee, political action committee or ballot question committee; and
C. Internet and e-mail activities costing less than $100, as excluded by rule of the commission, paid for by one or more individuals who are not required to register or file campaign finance reports with the commission and who are acting independently of and without authorization by a candidate, candidate's authorized campaign committee, party committee, political action committee or ballot question committee or an agent of a candidate, candidate's authorized campaign committee, party committee, political action committee or ballot question committee . ;
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§6, ¶¶D and E are enacted to read:
D. Communications in which the name or address of the person who made or authorized the expenditure for the communication would be so small as to be illegible or infeasible, including communications on items such as ashtrays, badges and badge holders, balloons, campaign buttons, clothing, coasters, combs, emery boards, envelopes, erasers, glasses, key rings, letter openers, matchbooks, nail files, noisemakers, paper and plastic cups, pencils, pens, plastic tableware, 12-inch or shorter rulers, swizzle sticks, tickets to fund-raisers and similar items determined by the commission to be too small and unnecessary for the disclosures required by this section and in electronic media advertisements where compliance with this section would be impractical due to size or character limitations; and
E. Campaign signs that are financed by the candidate or candidate's authorized committee and that clearly identify the name of the candidate and are lettered or printed individually by hand.
Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 126th Legislature, Second Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.