An Act To Prohibit a Person from Providing False Testimony to a Committee of the Legislature
Sec. 1. 3 MRSA c. 22 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 22
TESTIMONY BEFORE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES
§ 491. Requirement to provide truthful testimony
(1) Legislative designee, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 8-A;
(2) Lobbyist, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 10;
(3) Lobbyist associate, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 10-A;
(4) Member of the public;
(5) Official in the executive branch, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 10-C; or
(6) State employee or state agency employee, as defined in section 312-A, subsection 17.
summary
This bill prohibits a person such as a lobbyist, state employee, executive branch official or member of the public from purposely providing, either in person or through another means, false testimony, either orally, in writing or by other means, to a legislative committee or purposely omitting or concealing a material fact related to testimony provided to a legislative committee. This bill allows any member of a legislative committee to require the chair of that committee to place a person testifying before that committee under oath.
A person who purposely provides false testimony to a legislative committee or who omits or conceals a material fact commits a Class E crime. If the person was under oath at the time, the person commits a Class D crime. If the person is a lobbyist or lobbyist associate, the person may be suspended from lobbying before the Legislature for up to 2 years.