Legislature Passes Bill to Preserve Local Government Candidate Filing Documents
June 3, 2009 -
AUGUSTA – The Maine legislature approved a bill late yesterday that would preserve the filing reports of candidates who run for local government offices. LD 1100, An Act to Preserve Government Documents, sponsored by Senator Justin Alfond (D-Cumberland County), transfers the responsibility of campaign finance reporting for candidates for municipal office from municipal clerks to the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.
“By transferring the responsibility of processing these filings from municipalities to the State, we will save cities and towns time and money, and make sure important campaign finance information is available for years to come,” Senator Alfond said. “This bill also increases the transparency of who is paying for local elections and ballot questions, and provides consistency in filing forms.”
Under current law, municipal candidates (i.e., school board, city or town council) in municipalities with a population of 15,000 or more are required to follow the funding restrictions and reporting requirements set forth by Maine statute.
“The ability to file campaign finance reports on-line, in a central location, will not only make filing easier for candidates, but it will allow the public to go to one source to research how candidates and issues are being funded in our state,” said Linda Cohen, clerk for the City of Portland.
The Ethics Commission is currently in the midst of enhancing their e-filing system. The cost of adding the new platform will cut the costs with the software vender and will be funded by the Ethics Commissions special revenue funds. It will also significantly reduce the fiscal impact on towns and regions by giving the Ethics Commission the ability to oversee what is spent on municipal ballot referendums.
LD 1100 will be sent down to Governor Baldacci for his signature before becoming a law.
