Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

Office Of Consumer Affairs And Business Regulation.

7006-0000

For the office of the director of consumer affairs and business regulation, including expenses of an administrative services unit; provided, that said office shall submit a written report on all planned or executed fiscal year 1998 intergovernmental service agreements between said office and the agencies under its control; provided further, that said report shall detail how funds transferred or allocated to said office pursuant to said agreements shall be used by said office and how said funds would have been used by said agencies to which the funds were appropriated but for the existence of such agreements; and provided further, that said report shall be submitted the house and senate committees on ways and means by February 1, 1998

......................................................$1,338,624

Division of Banks.

7006-0010

For the operation of the division of banks

......................................................$9,114,218

Division of Insurance.

7006-0020

For the operation and administration of the division, including expenses of the board of appeal on motor vehicle policies and bonds, and certain other costs of supervising motor vehicle liability insurance and the expenses of the fraudulent claims board; provided, that the positions of counsel I and counsel II shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter 31 of the General Laws; provided further, that contracts or orders for the purchase of statement blanks for the making of annual reports to the commissioner of insurance shall not be subject to the restrictions prescribed by section 1 of chapter 5 of the General Laws; provided further, that the division of insurance shall maintain a phone system in its western Massachusetts office that will immediately transfer calls made to that office to the consumer assistance office in Boston during any business hours when the western Massachusetts office is closed; provided further, that the division shall have an employee or other such person answering all initial incoming telephone calls, excluding all direct in-dial calls, between the hours of nine o'clock ante meridian and five o'clock post meridian; and provided further, that the division shall designate an employee to handle all incoming calls relative to chapter 218 of the acts of 1995 or regulations promulgated under said chapter 218

......................................................$5,049,706

General Fund .................. 60.0%

Highway Fund .................. 40.0%

7006-0030

For the additional costs associated with administration of the division; provided, that the commissioner of insurance shall expend funds from this item for the purpose of maintaining accreditation by the national association of insurance commissioners

......................................................$3,196,687

Division of Insurance Trust Fund .................. 100.0%

Division of Registration.

7006-0040

For the operation and administration of the division of registration; provided, that the division shall at all times employ no fewer than 2 hearings officers to facilitate the processing of the cases pending before the various boards within said division; provided further, that the division of investigator of radio-television technicians shall not be subject to chapter 31 of the General Laws; provided further, that the division shall maintain and staff an office in Springfield; provided further, that said division is hereby directed to provide a report detailing how the fiscal year 1998 appropriation will effect caseload backlog of said division; and provided further, that said division shall submit said report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on or before March 1, 1998

......................................................$5,133,464

7006-0050

For personnel, administrative, computer, equipment, newsletter and other expansion costs of the board of registration in nursing, in addition to funds available to said board in item 7006-0040 in section 2

......................................................$439,415

Division of Standards.

7006-0060

For the operation and administration of the division of standards

......................................................$503,464

7006-0065

The division of standards is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed $50,000 from the local consumer inspection fund established pursuant to section 50

......................................................$50,000

Local Consumer Inspection Fund .................. 100.0%

Department of Public Utilities.

7006-0070

For the operation and administration of the department of public utilities including the community antenna television division; provided, that not less than $350,000 shall be expended on additional personnel for electricity restructuring proceedings, including one economist, one engineer, one attorney, one rate analyst and five consumer assistance specialists; provided further, that notwithstanding the provisions of the second sentence of the first paragraph of section 18 of chapter 25 of the General Laws, the assessments levied pursuant to said first paragraph of said section 18 of said chapter 25 for fiscal year 1998 shall be made at a rate sufficient to produce $4,763,867; provided further, that the community antenna television division shall be assessed at $720,000 for fiscal year 1998 pursuant to section 2 of chapter 166A of the General Laws; and provided further, that the department shall maintain a toll free consumer access telephone number to facilitate state-wide citizen access on customer service issues in the delivery of cable television services

......................................................$$5,483,867

7006-0080

For the operation of the transportation division

......................................................$597,966

7006-0090

The department of public utilities may expend revenues collected up to $225,000 for the operation of the energy facilities siting commission

......................................................$225,000

Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

7006-0100

For the operation and administration of the alcoholic beverages control commission; provided, that the commission is hereby authorized and directed to take all steps necessary, up to and including amending its regulations, to eliminate duplication of tasks currently performed by the commission which are also performed by the cities and towns, including but not limited to the performance of investigations

......................................................$1,115,341

State Racing Commission.

7006-0110

For the operation and administration of the state racing commission

......................................................$3,660,193

Board of Registration in Medicine.

7006-0130

For the operation and administration of the board of medicine and the committee on acupuncture

......................................................$1,387,113

7006-0135

For the costs of the physician profile program, so-called; provided, that in the event that expenditures and encumbrances for the purpose of this item exceed the amount appropriated herein, the comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to transfer the amount of any such deficiency from item 7006-0130 to this item to ensure that the physician profile program, so-called, is maintained throughout fiscal year 1998

......................................................$247,000