1082

LAWS OF MARYLAND

[Ch. 153

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]. THE minimum assessment for any
public service company shall be [ten dollars] $10. The
amount of the bill rendered shall be paid by the public
service company to the Commission on or before July
fifteenth following[; but that a]. A public service
company may elect to make partial payments for the costs
and expenses on 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] 25 PERCENT of the estimate of costs and
expenses to be assessed against the public service
company under the provisions of this section and [shall]
MAY not be less than [ten dollars] $10. 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 decrease shall
be equally apportioned against the remaining payments for
the fiscal year. On or before September fifteenth of
each year, the chairman shall compute the actual costs
and expenses of the Commission for the preceding State
fiscal year and, after deducting the amounts recovered
pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, on or before
October fifteenth, shall send to each public service
company affected [thereby] a statement setting forth the
amount due and payable by, or the amount standing to the
credit of, the public service company. Any amount owing
by any public service company shall be paid not later
than [thirty] 30 days following the date the statement is
received. Any amount standing to the credit of any
public service company shall be refunded by the