A group of bipartisan lawmakers have joined together to introduce new legislation in Maine that would increase funding for the state's Clean Elections' law and further strengthen the popular system.

Following the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McComish v. Bennett, trigger provisions were removed from the law, reducing the amount of funds available to candidates. "The new bill, LD 1309, would nearly triple the total amount of money House and Senate candidates can currently collect via a series of individual $5 contributions, from $4,923 to $16,500 for contested House races and from $21,455 to $65,000 for contested Senate races. It would increase money gubernatorial candidates can collect from $1.2 million to $3.2 million."

This bill is a response to the efforts of Gov. Paul LePage (R) and other members of the legislature to further weaken the Maine Clean Election Act.

"Andrew Bossie, with Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, said the new proposal would restore the viability of the program. 'It would strengthen the Clean Elections law as voters initially enacted it,' Bossie said Monday."