An Act To Promote Transparency in Government
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §1012, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 268, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §1012, sub-§7-A is enacted to read:
Sec. 3. 1 MRSA §1016-A, first ¶, as amended by PL 2001, c. 75, §1, is further amended to read:
Each Legislator shall file a statement of specific sources of income received in the preceding calendar year with the commission by 5:00 p.m. on February 15th of each year on forms provided by the commission. Prior to the end of the first week in January of each year, the commission shall deliver a form to each Senator and member of the House of Representatives. The statement of specific sources of income filed under this subchapter must be on a form prescribed by the commission and is a public record. A Legislator who has completed service in the Legislature shall file the statement within 45 days of the Legislator's last day of service to disclose the sources of income in the Legislator's final calendar year of service.
Sec. 4. 1 MRSA §1016-A, sub-§1, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 561, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 5. 1 MRSA §1016-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2007, c. 704, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 6. 1 MRSA §1016-A, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 561, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 7. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§1, ¶¶A-1 and B-1 are enacted to read:
(1) Has been legally domiciled with the executive employee for at least 12 months;
(2) Is not legally married to or legally separated from an individual;
(3) Is the sole partner of the executive employee and expects to remain so; and
(4) Is jointly responsible with the executive employee for each other's common welfare as evidenced by joint living arrangements, joint financial arrangements or joint ownership of real or personal property.
Sec. 8. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§1, ¶G, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 561, §14, is amended to read:
Sec. 9. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§1, ¶H-1 is enacted to read:
Sec. 10. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§2, ¶D, as amended by PL 2007, c. 704, §5, is further amended to read:
Sec. 11. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§2, ¶G, as amended by PL 1989, c. 608, §3, is further amended to read:
Sec. 12. 5 MRSA §19, sub-§3-A is enacted to read:
summary
This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing financial disclosure by Legislators and certain executive employees.
1. It changes the definition of "associated organization" in the laws governing financial disclosure by Legislators to provide that an organization with which a member of a Legislator's immediate family, rather than only the Legislator's spouse as in current law, holds a certain position is an associated organization and to add managerial employees to the list of the positions in an organization covered in the definition.
2. It requires a Legislator who has completed service to file a statement within 45 days of the last day of service to disclose the Legislator's sources of income in the Legislator's final year of service.
3. It requires a Legislator who is an employee of another to identify the title of the position held by the Legislator.
4. It requires that, if a member of a Legislator's immediate family received income of $1,000 or more in compensation in a calendar year, the Legislator must identify the source of the compensation, the type of the economic activity and the title of the position held by the immediate family member.
5. It requires a Legislator to identify each executive branch agency to which an associated organization has sold goods or services with a value in excess of $1,000.
6. It adds domestic partners to the definition of "immediate family" in the laws governing financial disclosure by certain executive employees.
7. It requires that, if a member of an executive employee's immediate family received income of $1,000 or more in compensation in a calendar year, the executive employee must identify the source of the compensation, the type of the economic activity and the title of the position held by the immediate family member.
8. It requires an executive employee to identify each executive branch agency to which an associated organization has sold goods or services with a value in excess of $1,000.
9. It requires an executive employee whose employment has terminated to file a statement of finances and a statement of positions within 45 days after the termination of employment relating to the final calendar year of the employment.