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Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§3-B  is enacted to read:
 
3-B.  Optional reporting method for cash contributions.     A participating candidate who collects qualifying contributions in cash may choose an alternative method of submitting those contributions to the Maine Clean Election Fund rather than submitting the qualifying contributions as prescribed in subsection 3. If a participating candidate chooses to submit qualifying contributions in accordance with this subsection, the following requirements must be met.
 
A.  Each qualifying contribution must be made voluntarily by the contributor from the contributor's personal funds. It is a violation of this chapter for a person to provide money to a contributor to pay for a qualifying contribution or to give anything of value to the contributor in exchange for a qualifying contribution.
 
B. A contributor making a qualifying contribution in cash shall sign a form prepared by the commission for the purpose of documenting cash contributions. A candidate receiving qualifying contributions in cash shall submit the contributions to the commission in the aggregate in the form of a cashier's check or money order payable to the Maine Clean Election Fund. The candidate may not deposit qualifying contributions received in cash into the candidate's campaign account.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment establishes an alternative method for collecting and submitting qualifying cash contributions collected by a participating candidate under the Maine Clean Election Act. The bill provides that a cash qualifying contribution is valid if the contributor signed a receipt and acknowledgment form. The amendment instead allows for qualifying contributions to be submitted in the manner prescribed in current law, which requires use of a money order, and adds that a cashier's check may also be used. Under the alternative method, the contributor signs a form, separate from the receipt and acknowledgment form required under current law. The amendment provides that the cash contributions may not be deposited into the candidate's campaign account.