Campaign funding under review

AUGUSTA – The state panel that oversees public funding for political campaigns is slated to review proposed rule changes that would put new limits on permissible spending in Maine’s Clean Election system.

As part of the proposed guidelines, legislative candidates who receive public funding would no longer be able to use those funds to pay for their own meals, hotel rooms or clothes.

The proposed rules also would prohibit publicly funded candidates from using campaign funds to make charitable contributions or to pay penalties for such things as overdue finance reports.

“I think the adoption of these guidelines will be an important step for candidates in clarifying what they can and cannot spend public funds on,” said Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.

Jean Ginn Marvin, who chairs the ethics commission, said Tuesday the panel probably will adopt the proposed rules because “we’re very sensitive to the fact that we’re using the public’s money.”

Publicly funded candidates spent $2.7 million last year.

The state already has rules saying that public funds can only be used for “campaign-related purposes.”

In some cases, the proposed rules are more lenient for gubernatorial candidates than for legislative candidates.

For example, the proposed rules would allow gubernatorial candidates to spend a “reasonable” amount of money on campaign-related lodging, but prohibit legislative candidates from doing so.

Similarly, candidates for governor could feed themselves and their spouses at taxpayer expense while traveling during a campaign, but legislative candidates could not.

Gubernatorial candidates have to campaign in “a larger geographical area” than legislative candidates and gubernatorial candidates may have legitimate reasons to make “a few trips out of Maine” on campaign business, Wayne said Tuesday.

Public financing has been available in gubernatorial races since 2002 and in legislative races since 2000.