Section 17550.44.

(a) In addition to the assessments required by Section 17550.43, the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation shall bill and collect from each participant an annual assessment that in the aggregate shall consist of assessments for the operations fund and the restitution fund. For each participant, the due date of that annual assessment shall be 30 days prior to the annual renewal date for registration pursuant to Section 17550.20 or 45 days after billing, whichever is later. For a participant registering for the first time, the assessments required by Section 17550.43 shall be due 10 days prior to the seller of travel doing business in this state. A late fee of five dollars ($5) per day, up to a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500), shall be paid for each day after the due date specified in this section until the assessment is paid.

(b) The annual assessment for the operations fund shall be determined no later than January 15 of each year for the next fiscal year in an amount that does not exceed the amount necessary to fund the operations and administration of the corporation, based upon the annual operational budget required by subdivision (a) of Section 17550.43, and shall become effective immediately. The annual assessment for the operations fund shall not exceed thirty-five dollars ($35) per year for each location in the state from which a participant does business.

(c) If, as of January 15 of any year, the balance in the restitution fund is less than one million six hundred thousand dollars ($1,600,000), the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation shall make an assessment of participants, up to a maximum amount of two hundred dollars ($200) for each location in the state from which a participant does business, to bring the restitution fund to an expected balance of one million six hundred thousand dollars ($1,600,000). Every participant's assessment shall be determined pro rata based upon the ratio of the number of locations in the state from which the participant does business to the total number of locations for all participants as of the preceding December 15.

(d) If, on May 1 or October 15 of any year, the balance in the restitution fund is less than nine hundred thousand dollars ($900,000), the corporation shall make an emergency assessment of participants, not more than twice per year, up to a maximum amount of one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per year for each location in the state from which the participant does business, for deposit in the trust account to return the level of the restitution fund to an expected balance of one million six hundred thousand dollars ($1,600,000). The corporation shall estimate the total cost of billing, collecting, and processing the emergency restitution fund assessment and shall assess and collect, together with the emergency restitution fund assessment, an emergency operations fund assessment that is in the aggregate sufficient to offset the estimated cost. Each participant's assessments shall be determined pro rata based upon the ratio of the number of locations in the state from which the participant does business to the total number of locations for all participants as of the first day of the preceding month. The board of directors shall adopt rules for the notification of emergency assessments.

(e) In addition to the assessments required by Section 17550.43 and subdivision (d), if at any time during the fiscal year the board of directors of the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation determines that the operations fund will be insufficient to pay the costs of operations and administration for the current or next fiscal year, the corporation, as determined by the board of directors, shall do either or both of the following: (A) make an emergency assessment of participants, not more than once per fiscal year, up to a maximum amount of sixty-five dollars ($65) per year for each location in the state from which a participant does business. The emergency assessment may be billed and collected either on an emergency basis from all participants upon the making of the assessment, or in conjunction with each participant's annual assessment pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 17550.44, (B) transfer any or all interest earned on the Restitution Fund to the Operations Fund, provided that no transfer results in a restitution fund balance of less than one million two hundred thousand dollars ($1,200,000).

(f) The assessment required by subdivision (d) or (e) shall be due 45 days from the date the bill for that assessment is mailed by the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation. A late fee of five dollars ($5) per day, up to a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500), shall be paid for each day after the due date specified in this section until the assessment is paid.

(g) The Travel Consumer Restitution Fund shall report to the office of the Attorney General each levy of assessment within 10 business days after the levy.

(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 924, Sec. 23. Effective January 1, 1999.)