(a) Determination of assessment.--Before November 1 of each year, the commission shall estimate its total expenditures in the administration of this part for the fiscal year beginning July of the following year, which estimate shall not exceed three-tenths of 1% of the total gross intrastate operating revenues of the public utilities and licensed entities under its jurisdiction for the preceding calendar year, except that the estimate may exceed this amount to reflect Federal funds received by the commission and funds received from other sources to perform functions that are unrelated to the regulation of public utilities and licensed entities. Such estimate shall be submitted to the Governor in accordance with section 610 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929. At the same time the commission submits its estimate to the Governor, the commission shall also submit that estimate to the General Assembly. The commission or its designated representatives shall be afforded an opportunity to appear before the Governor and the Senate and House Appropriations Committees regarding their estimates. The commission shall subtract from the final estimate:
(1) The estimated fees to be collected pursuant to section 317 (relating to fees for services rendered by commission) during such fiscal year.
(2) The estimated balance of the appropriation, specified in section 511 (relating to disposition, appropriation and disbursement of assessments and fees), to be carried over into such fiscal year from the preceding one.
The remainder so determined, herein called the total assessment, shall be allocated to, and paid by, such public utilities in the manner prescribed. If the General Assembly fails to approve the commission's budget for the purposes of this part, by March 30, the commission shall assess public utilities on the basis of the last approved operating budget. At such time as the General Assembly approves the proposed budget the commission shall have the authority to make an adjustment in the assessments to reflect the approved budget. If, subsequent to the approval of the budget, the commission determines that a supplemental budget may be needed, the commission shall submit its request for that supplemental budget simultaneously to the Governor and the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
(b) Allocation of assessment.--On or before March 31 of each year, every public utility shall file with the commission a statement under oath showing its gross intrastate operating revenues for the preceding calendar year. If any public utility shall fail to file such statement on or before March 31, the commission shall estimate such revenues, which estimate shall be binding upon the public utility for the purposes of this section. For each fiscal year, the allocation shall be made as follows:
(1) The commission shall determine for the preceding calendar year the amount of its expenditures directly attributable to the regulation of each group of utilities furnishing the same kind of service, and debit the amount so determined to such group. The commission may, for purposes of the assessment, deem utilities rendering water, sewer or water and sewer service, as defined in the definition of "public utility" in section 102 (relating to definitions), as a utility group.
(2) The commission shall also determine for the preceding calendar year the balance of its expenditures, not debited as aforesaid, and allocate such balance to each group in the proportion which the gross intrastate operating revenues of such group for that year bear to the gross intrastate operating revenues of all groups for that year.
(3) The commission shall then allocate the total assessment prescribed by subsection (a) to each group in the proportion which the sum of the debits made to it bears to the sum of the debits made to all groups.
(4) Each public utility within a group shall then be assessed for and shall pay to the commission such proportion of the amount allocated to its group as the gross intrastate operating revenues of the public utility for the preceding calendar year bear to the total gross intrastate operating revenues of its group for that year.
(5) (Repealed).
(c) Notice, hearing and payment.--The commission shall give notice by registered or certified mail to each public utility of the amount lawfully charged against it under the provisions of this section, which amount shall be paid by the public utility within 30 days of receipt of such notice, unless the commission specifies on the notices sent to all public utilities an installment plan of payment, in which case each public utility shall pay each installment on or before the date specified therefor by the commission. Within 15 days after receipt of such notice, the public utility against which such assessment has been made may file with the commission objections setting out in detail the grounds upon which the objector regards such assessment to be excessive, erroneous, unlawful or invalid. The commission, after notice to the objector, shall hold a hearing upon such objections. After such hearing, the commission shall record upon its minutes its findings on the objections and shall transmit to the objector, by registered or certified mail, notice of the amount, if any, charged against it in accordance with such findings, which amount or any installment thereof then due, shall be paid by the objector within ten days after receipt of notice of the findings of the commission with respect to such objections. If any payment prescribed by this subsection is not made as aforesaid, the commission may suspend or revoke certificates of public convenience, certify automobile registrations to the Department of Transportation for suspension or revocation or, through the Department of Justice, may institute an appropriate action at law for the amount lawfully assessed, together with any additional cost incurred by the commission or the Department of Justice by virtue of such failure to pay.
(d) Suits by public utilities.--No suit or proceeding shall be maintained in any court for the purpose of restraining or in anywise delaying the collection or payment of any assessment made under subsections (a), (b) and (c), but every public utility against which an assessment is made shall pay the same as provided in subsection (c). Any public utility making any such payment may, at any time within two years from the date of payment, sue the Commonwealth in an action at law to recover the amount paid, or any part thereof, upon the ground that the assessment was excessive, erroneous, unlawful, or invalid, in whole or in part, provided objections, as hereinbefore provided, were filed with the commission, and payment of the assessment was made under protest either as to all or part thereof. In any action for recovery of any payments made under this section, the claimant shall be entitled to raise every relevant issue of law, but the findings of fact made by the commission, pursuant to this section, shall be prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated. Any records, books, data, documents, and memoranda relating to the expenses of the commission shall be admissible in evidence in any court and shall be prima facie evidence of the truth of their contents. If it is finally determined in any such action that all or any part of the assessment for which payment was made under protest was excessive, erroneous, unlawful, or invalid, the commission shall make a refund to the claimant out of the appropriation specified in section 511 as directed by the court.
(e) Certain provisions not applicable.--The provisions of this part relating to the judicial review of orders and determinations of the commission shall not be applicable to any findings, determinations, or assessments made under this section. The procedure in this section providing for the determination of the lawfulness of assessments and the recovery back of payments made pursuant to such assessment shall be exclusive of all other remedies and procedures.
(f) Intent of section.--It is the intent and purpose of this section that each public utility subject to this part shall advance to the commission its reasonable share of the cost of administering this part. The commission shall keep records of the costs incurred in connection with the administration and enforcement of this part or any other statute. The commission shall also keep a record of the manner in which it shall have computed the amount assessed against every public utility. Such records shall be open to inspection by all interested parties. The determination of such costs and assessments by the commission, and the records and data upon which the same are made, shall be considered prima facie correct; and in any proceeding instituted to challenge the reasonableness or correctness of any assessment under this section, the party challenging the same shall have the burden of proof.
(g) Saving provision.--This section does not affect or repeal any of the provisions of the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.769, No.240), known as the "Commonwealth Documents Law."