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An Act To Require Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates To Disclose Their Federal Income Tax Returns
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA c. 5, sub-c. 8  is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 8
DISCLOSURE OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURNS BY PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
§ 441. Disclosure of federal income tax returns by presidential and vice-presidential candidates
 
1.  Candidate nominated by petition.     For a candidate who has been nominated by petition for the office of President of the United States or for the office of Vice President of the United States pursuant to subchapter 2, in order for the candidate's name to appear on the general election ballot, the candidate shall provide documentation of the previous 5 years of that candidate's federal income tax returns by 5 p.m. on August 1st of the presidential election year with the nomination petition filed pursuant to section 354, subsection 8-A.
 
2.  Candidate selected by political party.     For a candidate who has been selected by a political party at convention to be a nominee for the office of the President of the United States or for the office of the Vice President of the United States pursuant to subchapter 1, Article 3, in order for the candidate's name to appear on the general election ballot, the candidate shall provide documentation of the previous 5 years of that candidate's federal income tax returns by 5 p.m. on the 3rd business day after the day on which the chair and the secretary of the political party's state committee certify to the Secretary of State the names of the party's candidates for presidential elector pursuant to section 322, subsection 2.
 
3.  Redaction of certain information; Internet posting.     A candidate or the candidate's staff may redact the candidate's federal income tax returns to remove personally identifying information other than the candidate's name. As used in this subsection, "personally identifying information" includes social security numbers, home addresses, the employer identification numbers and street addresses of any businesses and the preparer tax identification numbers and addresses of any paid tax return preparers. The Secretary of State shall post the income tax returns on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website.
Sec. 2.  PL 2015, c. 474, §5  is amended by amending the first indented paragraph to read:
The Secretary of State shall include in the report recommendations regarding the administration of presidential primaries, including any implementing legislation. These recommendations must include, but are not limited to, provisions that address the arrangement and content of the ballot, including the order of candidates to be listed on the ballot if a party has multiple candidates; necessary changes to ensure proper and timely administration of absentee ballots for a presidential primary and compliance with the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; and other issues as determined by the Secretary of State to be necessary for proper administration of a presidential primary in the State. The Secretary of State shall include with the report suggested legislation requiring a presidential primary candidate to provide documentation of the previous 5 years of the candidate's federal income tax returns in order for the candidate's name to appear on the general election ballot.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires that, in order for a candidate for President or a candidate for Vice President to appear on a general election ballot, the candidate for President or the candidate for Vice President must disclose the previous 5 years of that candidate's federal income tax returns, which may be redacted to remove personally identifying information other than the candidate's name. It directs the Secretary of State to post the tax returns on the Secretary of State's website and to include in the secretary's report regarding presidential primaries pursuant to Public Law 2015, c. 474, section 5 suggested legislation requiring primary candidates to disclose federal income tax returns.