Program Authorization: La. Constitution, Article IV, Sec. 21; R.S. 36:721

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The mission of the Administrative Program is:

• to provide technical and legal support to the Public Service Commission and be accessible to staff and public at all times;
• to endeavor to protect and advance the interest of the people of Louisiana concerning all cases and matters coming before the commission without regard to external political interests, motivation, or pressure;
• to provide management oversight to all staff as well as supply necessary administrative support; and
• to organize and categorize rules, regulations, orders, and minutes of the commission for easy access.

The goals of the Administrative Program are:

1. Abandon or modify procedures that have been outdated.
2. Safeguard all official records and documents with easy access to the public.
3. Provide ongoing training to maintain highly motivated and knowledgeable staff.

The Administrative Program includes the following activities (organizational divisions): Executive, Docketing, Legal, and Management and Finance.

The Executive Division, headed by the executive secretary, coordinates all operations of the Public Service Commission except those performed in district offices, which are under the supervision of individual public service commissioners. The general counsel serves as the legal representative of the commission at all levels of the judicial system including the 19^th Judicial District Court and other state and federal regulatory bodies. In some instances, the general counsel may serve as a hearing examiner.

The Docketing Division is responsible for accurate and orderly processing of all formal proceedings that are acted upon by the public service commissioners, transcription of public hearings for interested parties and the courts, and filing orders and decisions arising from these proceedings and maintaining accurate filings.

The Legal Division represents the Public Service Commission in all docketed cases (for example, complaints against regulated companies, and all rate-making and rule-making proceedings). Staff may investigate and/or request discovery regarding complaints and applications; prosecute regulated entities for violating orders, rules, and regulations; initiate generic rule-makings; and develop regulatory plans and determine earnings.

The Management and Finance Division provides various services necessary to the overall operation of the Public Service Commission. One of the major functions of this division is the collection of revenues from the Motor Carrier Registration Program, which collects and processes approximately $5.5 million each year. The Human Resources Section of this division administers the department's human resource program. The Fiscal Section oversees all financial accounting, fiscal operations, budget preparation, accounts payable, accounts receivables, revenue classifications, payroll and related benefits functions and procurement activities. The Information Systems Section handles all hardware and software computer programs.

OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Unless otherwise indicated, all objectives are to be accomplished during or by the end of FY 1999-2000. Performance indicators are made up of two parts: name and value. The indicator name describes what is being measured. The indicator value is the numeric value or level achieved within a given measurement period. For budgeting purposes, performance indicator values are shown for the prior fiscal year, the current fiscal year, and alternative funding scenarios (continuation budget level and Executive Budget recommendation level) for the ensuing fiscal year (the fiscal year of the budget document).

RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR THE PROGRAM

SOURCE OF FUNDING

This program is funded from Statutory Dedications generated from inspection and supervision fees paid by common carriers, contract carriers, and public utilities. Additionally, various fees such as fines, filing fees, I.D. stamps, rehearing applications, registration fees, etc. are collected by the Public Service Commission for administering this program. (Per R.S. 39:32B.(8), see table below for a listing of expenditures out of each Statutory Dedicated Fund.)

ANALYSIS OF RECOMMENDATION

The total means of financing for this program is recommended at 114.9% of the existing operating budget. It represents 89.9% of the total request ($1,971,457) for this program. The increase is primarily due to funding being provided for Information System analysis and installation of the Lan-Based Tracking/Case Management database.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

OTHER CHARGES

ACQUISITIONS AND MAJOR REPAIRS

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