While commissioners stress that the reviews will be conducted ‘without any suggestion of impropriety,’ findings of problems could lead to proposals for regular audits of the political action committees.
Maine Ethics Commission
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News, Politics
Maine Ethics Commission votes 2-1 to investigate power line opponent
The commission’s decision follows a complaint from a political action committee backing Central Maine Power’s proposed $1 billion transmission line through western Maine’s mountains.
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Ethics commission says slashing casino campaign fine was in state’s best interests
The Maine ethics commission voted Wednesday to accept a $100,000 payment from the backers of a failed 2017 ballot question campaign that asked voters to approve a York County casino. The 4-0 vote could be the final chapter in a three-year saga that involved a murky money trail stretching from Maine to the Northern Mariana […]
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Ethics staff wants to lower fine against casino campaign because it’s unlikely to be paid
AUGUSTA – The backers of a failed referendum drive to bring a casino to York County in 2017 could be getting a major reduction in the fine they owe for violating Maine’s campaign finance laws. The Maine Ethics Commission voted just before the election last November to levy a record-setting $500,000 fine against several organizations […]
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Maine ethics chief says Rep. Ryan Tipping likely violated law
AUGUSTA — The director of the Maine Ethics Commission says a state lawmaker likely violated the state’s ethics law when he failed to swiftly disclose income earned from work he did on behalf of a political action committee. Ethics commission Director Jonathan Wayne issued a clarification about Rep. Ryan Tipping, an Orono Democrat, on Friday, […]
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Ethics panel investigate Sen. Andre Cushing, fine anti-Thibodeau PAC
AUGUSTA — A state ethics panel voted unanimously on Wednesday to investigate a top Republican state senator’s fundraising activities and fine an out-of-state progressive group targeting Maine Senate President Mike Thibodeau for an incomplete registration. The investigation from the Maine Ethics Commission was welcomed by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Andre Cushing of Newport, whose sister, […]
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Maine Ethics Commission tweak candidate financing rule
AUGUSTA — The Maine Ethics Commission will not penalize a publicly-funded Democratic candidate for using a vague campaign finance rule that allowed his volunteers to pay for $1,800 worth of mailings. Commissioners instead plan to clarify the so-called house party exemption, a rule meant to allow volunteers to pick up part of the costs of […]
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Ethics panel wants state agencies, employees to disclosure campaign activity
AUGUSTA — Campaign groups that enlist government agencies or their employees for political activity should have to disclose that participation in campaign finance filings, commissioners on the state ethics panel said Monday. In a 4-1 vote, members of the Maine Ethics Commission chose to advocate for such a disclosure in a bill they’ll file for […]
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Maine nixes cap that limits how much individuals can give to campaigns
AUGUSTA — The Maine Ethics Commission has lifted the $25,000 aggregate cap for individuals donating to political campaigns, based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. Under the old cap, individuals were limited to $25,000 in total donations to candidates running for office in any calendar year. The Maine Ethics Commission decided last week to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine orders anti-gay marriage group to pay $50,000 fine, reveal donors
AUGUSTA — Maine’s ethics panel on Wednesday fined a national anti-gay marriage group more than $50,000 and ordered it to file a campaign finance report that would reveal the donors behind the 2009 repeal of the state’s gay marriage law after finding that it violating Maine’s campaign finance laws. The panel ruled that the National […]