1670                                         LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [Ch. 429

Public Service Commission Law, of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1969 Replacement Volume and 1973 Supplement) be
and they are hereby repealed and re—enacted, with
amendments, to read as follows:

Article 78 — Public Service Commission Law

88.

(b) The chairman of the Commission shall estimate
prior to the start of each State fiscal year the total
costs and expenses, including (1) the compensation and
expenses of the Commission, and its officers, agents and
employees, (2) the cost of retirement contributions,
social security, health insurance, and all other benefits
required to be paid by the State for the personnel of the
Commission, and (3) all other items of maintenance and
operation expenses and all other direct and indirect
costs; but excluding the costs of maintaining testing
equipment reimbursable under subsection (c) hereof.
Based on this estimate, the chairman shall determine the
amount to be paid by each public service company, and a
bill shall be rendered therefor to each such public
service company. The bill for each public service
company shall be rendered on or before May first of each
year, and shall be for the amount equal to the product of
the estimated costs and expenses of conducting the
Commission's total operations during the ensuing State
fiscal year multiplied by the proportion which compares
the gross operating revenues for the public service
company derived from intrastate utility operations in the
last preceding calendar year, or other twelve month
period as determined by the chairman, to the total of the
gross operating revenues derived from intrastate utility
operations for all public service companies in the State
which are assessed under this section over the same
period; but that the minimum assessment for any public
service company shall be ten dollars. The amount of the
bill rendered shall be paid by the public service company
to the Commission on or before [July 1] JULY FIFTEENTH
following; but that a public service company may elect to
make partial payments for the costs and expenses on [June
thirtieth, September thirtieth, December thirty—first and
March tenth] THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF EACH OF THE MONTHS OF
JULY, OCTOBER, JANUARY, AND APRIL of the fiscal year.
Each partial payment shall be a sum equal to twenty—five
per centum of the estimate of costs and expenses to be
assessed against the public service company under the
provisions of this section and shall not be less than ten
dollars. During the course of any State fiscal year, the
chairman may increase or decrease the estimate of costs
and expenses of the Commission. In this case, revised
bills shall be sent to each public service company which
has elected to make partial payments, and the increase or