Members appointed by the speaker of the House:
Offie dark, 1981; Alvin Lloyd, 1981; Gerald J.
Pannick, 1982; Susan Shubin, 1982; Edward K.
Barney, 1983; one vacancy.

Ex officio members: Thomas J. Hatem, Chair-
person, Public Service Commission; John K.
Keane, Jr., People's Counsel.

American Building
231 E. Baltimore Street
Baltimore 21202 Telephone: 659-6000

The Public Service Commission of Maryland
was established by Chapter 180, Acts of 1910.
The Commission consists of five Commissioners
appointed by the Governor with the advice and
consent of the Senate, one of whom is designated
as Chairperson. The five Commissioners serve for
six-year terms. The General Counsel of the Com-
mission is an attorney-at-law of the State and is
appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the
Commission (Chapter 756, Acts of 1976).

The Public Service Commission has jurisdiction
over common carriers, including steam and elec-
tric railroads, sleeping car companies, bus lines,
express companies, steamboat companies, power
boats, ferry companies, carriers by aircraft, toll
bridges, and all carriers, generally, engaged in the
public transportation of passengers or freight
within the State of Maryland, except those carri-
ers of passengers that come within the jurisdic-
tion of the Washington Metropolitan Area Tran-
sit Commission (Acts of 1959, Ch. 613). The
Commission also has jurisdiction over all taxicabs
operating in the City of Baltimore, Baltimore
County, Cumberland, and Hagerstown. In addi-
tion, the Commission licenses the taxicab drivers
in Baltimore City. The Commission also exercises
jurisdiction over all gas, electric, telephone, tele-
graph, water, sewage disposal, heating, and refrig-
erating companies operating within the State. The
Commission has the power to fix both minimum
and maximum rates and to suspend schedules
pending the determination of the reasonableness
of the proposed rates. Public utilities may not
abandon or discontinue the exercise of any fran-
chise without permission of the Commission. The
Commission tests all gas and electric meters be-
fore installation; it also tests previously installed
meters at the request of the consumer. It main-
tains a laboratory in which it makes daily tests of
gas furnished in the City of Baltimore. It also

Independent Agencies/349

makes regular and frequent tests of the gas and
electricity furnished in other parts of the State. It
hears matters relative to 1) rate adjustments; 2)
applications to exercise franchise; 3) approval of
issuance of securities; 4) promulgation of new
rules and regulations; 5) quality of utility and
common carrier service; and 6) railroad safety.
The Commission has the authority to issue a Cer-
tificate of Convenience and Necessity in connec-
tion with an electric utility's application to con-
struct a new generating station or transmission
lines of a certain capacity (Code 1957, Art. 78,
secs. 1 to 107).

The Commission is also authorized to make
joint investigations, hold joint hearings, and issue
joint or other concurrent orders in conjunction
with any official board or commission of any
state or the federal government under agreements
and compacts between states, under the con-
currrent powers of states to regulate interstate
commerce as an agency of the federal govern-
ment, or otherwise (Code 1957, Art. 78, sec. 59).
The Public Service Commission is also represent-
ed on joint boards created by the Interstate Com-
merce Commission under the federal Motor Car-
riers Act to hear and pass upon applications and
proceedings pertaining to interstate motor carrier
operation conducted in or through not more than
three states.

By Chapter 234, Acts of 1973, the General As-
sembly provided for a new method of financing
the operations of the Public Service Commission.
The filing fee of .0009 percent imposed on gross
intrastate utility operating revenues was repealed.
In its place utilities and common carriers under
the jurisdiction of the Commission are assessed a
proportionate share of the Commission's direct
and indirect expenses based on their proportion
of jurisdictional revenues.

The Office of People's Counsel operates inde-
pendently from the Commission and may partici-
pate in all proceedings before the Commission.
People's Counsel represents the interests of the
Maryland consumers generally before the Com-
mission and facilitates their inquiries on specific
utility complaints. The People's Counsel may ap-
pear before any federal or State agency as neces-
sary to protect the interests of residential or
noncommercial users (Chapter 756, Acts of
1976). The Office of People's Counsel may utilize
existing staff of the Commission, and may also
retain additional expert witnesses to testify in var-
ious proceedings before the Commission.

Chapter 860, Acts of 1978, created a Utility
Consumer Advisory Panel within the Public Ser-