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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 818H.P. 525 House of Representatives, March 4, 2025
An Act to Allow Expenditure of Maine Clean Election Act Funding
for the Care of Candidates' Dependents
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 27, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CLOUTIER of Lewiston.
Cosponsored by President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland and
Representatives: BOYER of Cape Elizabeth, EATON of Deer Isle, KUHN of Falmouth, LEE
of Auburn, MCCABE of Lewiston, MILLIKEN of Blue Hill, SUPICA of Bangor, Senator:
RENY of Lincoln. Page 1 - 132LR0074(01)
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2 as amended by PL 2017, c. 31, ยง1, is further
3 amended to read:
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5 certification, a candidate must shall limit the candidate's campaign expenditures and
6 obligations, including outstanding obligations, to the revenues distributed to the candidate
7 from the fund and may not accept any contributions unless specifically authorized by the
8 commission. Candidates may also accept and spend interest earned on fund revenues in
9 campaign bank accounts. All revenues distributed to a certified candidate from the fund
10 must be used for campaign-related purposes. The candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's
11 committee authorized pursuant to section subsection 1 or any agent of the
12 candidate and committee may not use these revenues for any but campaign-related
13 purposes. The candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's committee authorized pursuant to
14 section subsection 1 or any agent of the candidate and committee may not use
15 these revenues for post-election parties. This section does not prohibit a candidate from
16 using personal funds for post-election parties as governed by rules of the commission. The
17 commission shall publish guidelines outlining permissible campaign-related expenditures.
18 For the purposes of this section, "campaign-related purposes" includes paid caregiving
19 services provided to the candidate or the candidate's spouse or domestic partner for the
20 direct care of a dependent family member and for which the need for paid caregiving
21 services is directly connected with the candidate's campaign activities during the election
22 cycle and would not exist except for the candidate's campaign.
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24 This bill allows a Maine Clean Election Act candidate to use Maine Clean Election
25 Fund funds for paid caregiving services provided to the candidate or the candidate's spouse
26 or domestic partner for the direct care of a dependent family member and for which the
27 need for paid caregiving services is directly connected with the candidate's campaign
28 activities during the election cycle and would not exist except for the candidate's campaign.
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