Sec. 12. 9 MRSA §5008, as amended by PL 2001, c. 323, §§6 and 7, is further amended to read:

§5008. Registration renewal, records and reporting by professional

solicitors, professional fund-raising counsel and

commercial co-venturers

1. Registration. A person or entity may not act as a professional fund-raising counsel, a professional solicitor, a professional fund-raising counsel or a commercial co-venturer before that person or entity has registered with the office. Applications for registration or reregistration must be in writing, under oath, in the form prescribed by the office and accompanied by an application fee and a registration fee. The application fee is nonrefundable. The applicant shall, at the time of making application for registration or reregistration, file with and have approved by the office a bond, in which the applicant must be the principal obligor and the State the obligee, in the sum of $25,000, with one or more responsible sureties whose liability in the aggregate as such sureties at least equals that sum. The bond runs to any person or entity who may have a cause of action against the principal obligor of the bond for any malfeasance or misfeasance in the conduct of charitable solicitation in this State. Registration is for a period of one year. The registration fee and bond required by this chapter must be waived for an auctioneer, when that auctioneer engages in conduct for which that auctioneer is already bonded, who is licensed by the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation and who has otherwise complied with the requirements of Title 32, chapter 5-B.

1-A. Renewal of registration as professional solicitor, professional fund-raising counsel or commercial co-venturer. The following provisions govern application and qualification for renewal registration as a professional solicitor, professional fund-raising counsel or commercial co-venturer.

A. An entity that holds a valid registration must submit a completed application for renewal before the date of expiration of the registration. A registration expires on the stated date of expiration. The office must shall mail an application form to the registrant's last known address.

B. An application may not be considered for approval until complete. If the application is incomplete, the applicant must include a letter documenting the specific reasons for the incompleteness the application is incomplete. If no such letter is included, the incomplete application must be