Legal Definition of a Political Action Committee
21-A M.R.S.A. Section 1052(5)(A)
The term "political action committee:"
A. Includes:
(1) Any separate or segregated fund established by any corporation, membership organization, cooperative or labor or other organization whose purpose is to initiate or influence a campaign;
(2) (REPEALED)
(3) (REPEALED)
(4) Any organization, including any corporation or association, that has as its major purpose initiating or influencing a campaign and that receives contributions or makes expenditures aggregating more than $1,500 in a calendar year for that purpose; and
(5) Any organization that does not have as its major purpose influencing candidate elections but that receives contributions or makes expenditures aggregating more than $5,000 in a calendar year for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of any candidate to political office.
B. Does not include:
(1) A candidate or a candidate's treasurer under section 1013-A, subsection 1;
(2) A candidate's authorized political committee under section 1013-A, subsection 2;
(3) A party committee under section 1013-A, subsection 3; or
(4) An organization whose only payments of money in the prior 2 years for the purpose of influencing a campaign in this State are contributions to candidates, party committees, political action committees or ballot question committees registered with the commission or a municipality and that has not raised and accepted any contributions during the calendar year for the purpose of influencing a campaign in this State.
Updated to include laws enacted during the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature (2011)
