NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1981 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 475

HOUSE BILL 529

 

 

AN ACT TO MAKE THE UTILITY COMPANY, RATHER THAN THE CONTINGENCY AND EMERGENCY FUND, THE SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR THE PUBLIC STAFF FOR OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE IN COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1. G.S. 62-15(h) is amended to read:

"(h)       The executive director is authorized to employ, subject to approval by the State Budget Officer, expert witnesses and such other professional expertise as the executive director may deem necessary from time to time to assist the Public Staff in its participation in commission proceedings, and the compensation and expenses therefor shall be paid by the utility or utilities participating in said proceedings. Such compensation and expenses shall be treated by the commission, for rate-making purposes, in a manner generally consistent with its treatment of similar expenditures incurred by utilities in the presentation of their cases before the commission. An accounting of such compensation and expenses shall be reported annually to the Utility Review Committee and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate."

Sec. 2. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 29th day of May, 1981.