AUGUSTA — Concerns about the integrity of Maine’s ballot initiative process have prompted action on a bill to tighten the requirements for organizations behind petition campaigns.
The House today agreed with the Senate and approved a measure requiring businesses that receive compensation for circulating petitions to register with the Secretary of State.
Supporters say the bill would improve Maine’s century-old citizen initiative process by giving the public better knowledge of groups that pay millions of dollars to push for changes to state law through petition efforts.
A separate bill, also intended to improve the initiative process, was rejected by the House today. It sought a constitutional amendment requiring initiative supporters to show how much their proposal would cost and how it would be paid for.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.