3.__Forms.__A report required by this section must be on a form prescribed and prepared by the commission.__A person filing this report may use additional pages if necessary, but the pages must be the same size as the pages of the form.

Sec. 8. 21-A MRSA §1062-A, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 483, §21, is amended to read:

2. Campaign finance reports. A campaign finance report is not timely filed unless a properly signed copy of the report, substantially conforming to the disclosure requirements of this subchapter, is received by the commission before 5 p.m. on the date it is due. Except as provided in subsection 6, the commission shall determine whether a required report satisfies the requirements for timely filing. The commission may waive the penalty in whole or in part if the commission determines the failure to file a timely report was due to mitigating circumstances. For purposes of this section, "mitigating circumstances" means:

A. A valid personal emergency of the committee treasurer, such as a personal illness or death in the immediate family emergency of the committee treasurer determined by the commission, in the interest of the sound administration of justice, to warrant the waiver of the penalty in whole or in part; or

B. An error by the commission staff.; or

C.__Other circumstances determined by the commission that warrant mitigation of the penalty, based upon relevant evidence presented that a bona fide effort was made to file the report in accordance with the statutory requirements, including, but not limited to, unexplained delays in postal service.

SUMMARY

This bill makes changes to the laws governing the filing of campaign finance laws by providing the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices with more flexibility to accept campaign finance reporting forms late without penalty when the reason is a valid emergency. The bill also makes changes to the