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Maine bill would let Clean Election candidates use public funds for dependent care during campaigns
Summary
Rep. Kristen Cloutier told the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs that LD 818 would permit candidates using Maine Clean Election Act funds to pay for paid caregiving services directly tied to campaign activities, aiming to create parity with traditionally financed candidates.
At a public hearing, Representative Kristen Cloutier of Lewiston told the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs that LD 818 would allow candidates participating in the Maine Clean Election Act public financing program to use those funds to pay for caregiving for dependents when the care is directly connected to campaign activities.
"Running for office is challenging and doing so as the parent of young children or as the child of an aging adult that requires caregiving is even more demanding. I have personally experienced both of these situations," Cloutier said while presenting the bill. She told the committee that the bill would permit paid caregiving services "specifically for the direct care of a dependent family member" during an election cycle.
Cloutier cited a 2018 Federal Election Commission ruling that allowed a congressional candidate to use campaign funds for campaign-related child care as part of the rationale behind the proposal and said several states have since expanded use of campaign funds for dependent-care expenses. She said the change would create parity because candidates who use traditional private fundraising in Maine already may use their campaign funds for dependent care.
Cloutier also told the committee that dependent care in Maine is expensive and that the state has a shortage of providers, barriers she said have historically discouraged parents and other caregivers from running for office. The bill would limit payments to caregiving that is connected to campaign activities; the text presented at the hearing did not specify dollar limits or detailed administrative controls.
A committee member raised an objection drawn from testimony in the packet: that some opponents oppose the Maine Clean Election program itself and therefore oppose expanding its allowable uses. The committee member asked how Cloutier would respond to that position. Cloutier replied that questions about the Clean Elections program are within the committee's purview and argued the program gives voters in a district a clear way to support local candidates and helps people of limited means participate in campaigns.
The committee did not take a vote on LD 818 at the hearing. A timeline for further committee action or any amendments was not specified during the portion of the hearing recorded in the transcript.
