1. Any public utility subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission which elects to maintain its books and records outside the State of Nevada must, in addition to any other assessment and fees provided for by law, be assessed by the Commission for an amount equal to the per diem allowance and travel expenses of Commission members and staff for investigations, inspections and audits required to be performed outside this State. The per diem allowance and travel expenses of the members of the Commission and its staff must be assessed at the rate established by the State Board of Examiners for state officers and employees generally.

2. Any public utility subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission must, in addition to any other assessment and fees provided for by law, be assessed by the Commission for an amount equal to the per diem allowance and travel expenses of Commission members and staff for investigations, audits and appearances required to be performed out of this State as a result of interventions in:

(a) Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proceedings as authorized in NRS 703.152; or

(b) Actions involving the Federal Communications Commission or other federal regulatory agencies,

if the intervention is made to benefit the public utility or its customers. The per diem allowance and travel expenses of the members of the Commission and its staff must be assessed at the rate established by the State Board of Examiners for state officers and employees generally.

3. The assessments provided for by this section must be determined by the Commission upon the completion of each such investigation, inspection, audit or appearance and are due within 30 days after receipt by the affected utility of the notice of assessment. The total amount assessed by the Commission in 1 year pursuant to subsection 2 must not exceed $50,000.

4. The records of the Commission relating to the additional costs incurred by reason of the necessary additional travel must be open for inspection by the affected utility at any time within the 30-day period.

5. The Commission shall, not later than 2 business days after receiving a written request from the Legislative Commission, report to the Legislature the amount of assessments charged public utilities pursuant to subsection 2 during the previous biennium or any other period specified by the Legislative Commission.

(Added to NRS by 1973, 1832; A 1989, 609; 1991, 400; 1993, 442; 1995, 64; 1997, 1882; 2007, 544, 604)