(a) (1) If no fee is designated in this code for the review of filings required to be made pursuant to this code, the commissioner may establish a fee to permit the department to recover the actual cost of review of those filings. The fee so established shall not be increased by more than twenty-five dollars ($25), unless the increase is made by law.
(2) If this code designates a fee for any required filing, which fee the commissioner determines to be inadequate to cover the actual cost of review, the commissioner may assess an additional fee pursuant to this section not to exceed 25 percent of the fee designated by the code for the filing.
(3) Any person assessed a fee under this section shall be entitled, upon request, to receive reasonable substantiation from the department for the fee assessed, based upon the cost records of the department.
(4) As used in this section, “filings” means those items which the insurers are required to file with the department or commissioner pursuant to this code.
(b) The fee provided for by this section shall be assessed without regard to the requirements of Section 12978 as to uniformity of increase, but shall be based upon the actual cost to the department for the review of the filing.
(c) As used in this section, “person” means any person or entity subject to examination by the commissioner, or purporting to do insurance business in this state, or in the process of organization with intent to do insurance business in this state, or from whom the commissioner’s certificate of authority is required for the transaction of business, or whose certificate of authority is revoked or suspended.
(Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 855, Sec. 3.)