STATE OF MAINE
COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENTAL ETHICS
AND ELECTION PRACTICES
135 STATE HOUSE STATION
AUGUSTA, MAINE
04333-0135

To:

Presiding Officers and Leaders
Co-Chairs, Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs

From: Jonathan Wayne, Executive Director
Date: March 28, 2016
Re:

30-Day Update of Statement of Sources of Income

This memo is to notify you about the activities of the Ethics Commission staff to
highlight the requirement for Legislators to update their annual statement of sources of
income. A Legislator is required to file an updated statement with the Commission
within 30 days if a Legislator or his or her spouse or domestic partner:
• has a substantial change in income of $2,000 or more (e.g., a new employer),
• obtains a new unsecured loan of $3,000 or more, or
• accepts a new position in a for-profit or non-profit organization.
(Please see the other side of this page for the exact requirements.)
Our review of the 2016 annual statements suggests that many Legislators are unaware of
the 30-day update requirement. We found 50 State Representatives and eight State
Senators with one of the above changes who did not file a 30-day update within 2016.
To encourage greater disclosure this year, the Commission staff has updated our website
guidance on this requirement and developed a new form specifically for this update. In
the future, we will also include more information about the requirement in written
materials given to Legislators and send an annual reminder.
The Commission staff is viewing this as an opportunity to provide more effective
education to Legislators. This topic is scheduled for a general discussion by the
Commissioners at their April 18th meeting without reference to specific Legislators. The
Commissioners would welcome any comments you would like to offer. Thank you.

OFFICE LOCATED AT: 45 MEMORIAL CIRCLE, AUGUSTA, MAINE
WEBSITE: WWW.MAINE.GOV/ETHICS
PHONE: (207) 287-4179

FAX: (207) 287-6775

 1 M.R.S.A. § 1016-G. Disclosure of specific sources of income, interests and
reportable liabilities
...
2. Time for filing. The following provisions govern the time for filing statements.

A. Each Legislator shall file with the commission by 5:00 p.m. on February 15th of
each year on the form provided by the commission a statement of the sources of
income, interests and reportable liabilities for the preceding calendar year required
by subsection 1. Prior to the end of the first week in January of each year, the
commission shall deliver a form to each Senator and member of the House of
Representatives.

B. A Legislator shall file an updated statement concerning the current calendar year
if the income, reportable liabilities or positions of the Legislator or an immediate
family member, except for dependent children, substantially change from those
disclosed in the Legislator's most recent statement. Substantial changes include, but
are not limited to, a new employer that has paid the Legislator or a member of the
Legislator's immediate family $2,000 or more during the current year, another source
that has provided the Legislator or a member of the Legislator's immediate family,
excluding dependent children, with income that totals $2,000 or more during the
current year or the acceptance of a new position with a for-profit or nonprofit firm
that is reportable under subsection 1, paragraph L. The Legislator shall file the
updated statement within 30 days of the substantial change in income, reportable
liabilities or positions.

...

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