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An Act To Promote Ethics in Campaign Fund Solicitation
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §7056-A, sub-§2,  as enacted by PL 1997, c. 498, §6, is amended to read:
 
2. Political contributions.   An officer or employee in the classified service or an officer or employee from the executive branch in the unclassified service of this State may not:
 
A. Give or offer to give a political contribution to an individual to vote or refrain from voting or to vote for or against any candidate or measure in any partisan election;
 
B. Solicit, accept or receive a political contribution to vote or refrain from voting or to vote for or against any candidate or measure in any partisan election;
 
C. Knowingly give or hand over a political contribution to a superior of the officer or employee;
 
D. Knowingly solicit, accept or receive or be in any manner concerned with soliciting, accepting or receiving a political contribution from another employee or a member of another employee's immediate family who is a subordinate of the officer or employee; or
 
E. Knowingly solicit, accept or receive a political contribution from or give a political contribution to any person who:
 
(1) Has or is seeking to obtain contractual or other business or financial relations with the agency in which the officer or employee is employed;
 
(2) Conducts operations or activities that are regulated by that agency; or
 
(3) Has interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the officer's or employee's official duties.
 
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits an executive branch officer in the unclassified service of the State from:
1. Knowingly giving or receiving a political contribution in exchange for voting a certain way;
2. Knowingly giving a political contribution to a superior of the officer;
3. Knowingly soliciting or receiving a political contribution from a subordinate of the officer or the subordinate's family; or
4. Knowingly soliciting or receiving a political contribution from or giving a political contribution to a person who has business with the officer, is regulated by the officer or has interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the officer's official duties.