(a) Standards for costs.--The governing authority shall prescribe by general rule the standards governing the imposition and taxation of costs, including the items which constitute taxable costs, the litigants who shall bear such costs, and the discretion vested in the courts to modify the amount and responsibility for costs in specific matters. All system and related personnel shall be bound by such general rules. In prescribing such general rules, the governing authority shall be guided by the following considerations, among others:

(1) Attorney's fees are not an item of taxable costs except to the extent authorized by section 2503 (relating to right of participants to receive counsel fees).

(2) The prevailing party should recover his costs from the unsuccessful litigant except where the:

(i) Costs relate to the existence, possession or disposition of a fund and the costs should be borne by the fund.

(ii) Question involved is a public question or where the applicable law is uncertain and the purpose of the litigants is primarily to clarify the law.

(iii) Application of the rule would work substantial injustice.

(3) The imposition of actual costs or a multiple thereof may be used as a penalty for violation of general rules or rules of court.

(b) Private collection agencies.--The governing authority shall have the option of turning over delinquent accounts to private collection agencies which shall be selected through the competitive bidding process.

(Dec. 18, 1992, P.L.1269, No.167, eff. imd.)

Cross References. Section 1726 is referred to in sections 1702, 3542 of this title.