2618

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 295

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Annotated Code of Maryland
read(s) 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 to each 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. The minimum assessment for any public
service company shall be $10. The amount of the bill
rendered shall be paid by the public service company to the
Commission on or before July fifteenth following. 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 25
percent of the estimate of costs and expenses to be assessed
against the public service company under the provisions of
this section and may not be less than $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