State Ethics Commission Continues Investigating Lawmaker

AUGUSTA, Maine - The state ethics commission says it will keep investigating a Democratic lawmaker who didn't return roughly $2,600 in unspent public campaign funds for two months.
 
The Portland Press Herald reports that Rep. Dillon Bates ended up returning the funds after the commission contacted him 11 times between December and February.
 
The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices on Friday said Bates didn't misuse the funds but voted to continue investigating him.
 
Bates said he works up to 80 hours a week and couldn't make it to his bank to withdraw money from the account.
 
Commissioners said they will look into whether Bates held onto unspent public funds from 2014 and used them in the 2016 campaign.