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LD 9

An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Disclosure

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Craig Hickman

LD 9 tightens Maine campaign finance disclosure and enforcement to boost transparency, adds penalties and duties for filers and officials, with minor fiscal impacts.

Signed by Governor
#campaignfinance #disclosures #elections
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Bill Summary · LD 9

Summary — LD 9: An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Disclosure

Status: Signed by Governor (June 10, 2025)
Introduced: January 8, 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Hickman (Kennebec)
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Subject: Campaign finance, disclosures, elections

Purpose and intent

LD 9 is intended to modify Maine law governing campaign finance disclosure. The bill’s stated purpose (by title and legislative actions) is to change disclosure requirements and related enforcement mechanisms to increase transparency in campaign finance reporting.

Key procedural actions

  • Referred to Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Jan 6/8, 2025.
  • Committee work sessions, amendment (Committee Amendment “A” / S-219) adopted.
  • Reported Out as OTP-AM and passed by both chambers (June 2–3, 2025).
  • Signed by the Governor on June 10, 2025 and enacted.

What the bill does (high-level)

The provided materials do not include the bill text, so the summary below reflects the bill’s purpose and the effects described in legislative fiscal documents rather than specific statutory language. LD 9, as amended and engrossed, will:
- Change campaign finance disclosure requirements (scope and details to be confirmed in the bill text).
- Establish or adjust compliance and enforcement mechanisms, including penalties/fines for violations.
- Potentially create modest additional administrative duties for agencies that process and review filings and for courts handling enforcement cases.

Who is affected

  • Candidates, political committees, party committees, and political action committees subject to Maine’s campaign finance law (those required to file disclosure reports).
  • State election officials and staff who administer filings and enforce disclosure requirements.
  • Judicial and correctional system minimally, in the event of enforcement actions.
  • Donors and the public to the extent disclosure rules change access to information.

Fiscal and institutional impact

  • Preliminary Fiscal Note (01/15/25): No fiscal impact for the original bill.
  • Fiscal Notes for the amended and engrossed versions (05/19/25 and 06/02/25): Minor General Fund cost increase and minor revenue increases to the General Fund and other special revenue funds.
    • The revenue increases reflect the collection of additional fines.
    • The judicial/correctional workload from any new enforcement cases is expected to be minimal and not require additional funding.

Next steps / implementation

  • LD 9 is enacted. The effective date and specific compliance timelines are not provided in the supplied documents — consult the enacted bill text or Maine Revised Statutes updates for exact statutory language, effective date, reporting thresholds, and penalty schedules.

For exact changes (specific disclosure thresholds, reporting frequency, new definitions, and penalty amounts), refer to the final engrossed bill (with Committee Amendment A / S-219) or the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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