69-1-223. Funding of office of consumer counsel. - Montana Statutes

     69-1-223. Funding of office of consumer counsel. (1) There is an account in the state special revenue fund to which all fees collected under this section must be deposited and from which all appropriations to the office of the consumer counsel must be paid. An appropriation to the office of the consumer counsel may consist of a base appropriation for regular operating expenses and a contingency appropriation for expenses due to an unanticipated caseload.
     (2) In addition to all other licenses, fees, and taxes imposed by law, all regulated companies shall:
     (a) within 30 days after the close of each calendar quarter, file with the department of public service regulation and the department of revenue a statement, in a form that the commission and department may determine, showing the gross operating revenue from all activities regulated by the commission within the state for that calendar quarter of operation or portion of a quarter, separately stating gross revenue from sales to other regulated companies for resale; and
     (b) at that time pay to the department of revenue a fee based on a percentage of the gross operating revenue reported, as determined by the department of revenue under 69-1-224.
     (3) The amount of money which may be raised by the fee on the regulated companies during a fiscal year may not be increased, except as provided in 69-1-224(1)(c), from the amount appropriated, including both base and contingency appropriations, by the legislature for that fiscal year. Any additional money required for operation of the office of the consumer counsel must be obtained from other sources in a manner authorized by the legislature.

     History: En. Sec. 9, Ch. 65, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 319, L. 1974; R.C.M. 1947, 70-709(1), (2); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 280, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 277, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 647, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 508, L. 1993.