(a) General rule.--In order to reimburse the Legislative Reference Bureau for the cost of administering this part and in order to reimburse the Department of General Services for the expenses of the joint committee and for the costs incurred in publication under Subchapter B of Chapter 7¹ (relating to publication of documents) which are neither recovered by the sale of such publications to an agency under section 729 (relating to publication of individual documents) nor paid by appropriations made directly to the bureau or the department for the costs and expenses of such publication, every government unit issuing, prescribing or promulgating documents published by authority of this part shall be billed at least quarterly by the bureau and the Department of General Services, upon a cost basis, at such amounts as the joint committee with the approval of the Executive Board shall determine, for such costs and expenses. Amounts payable under this section for reimbursing the bureau and the department for the costs shall be credited to the appropriations of the bureau and the department respectively, and shall be paid out of the moneys in the General Fund, special operating funds, or other funds of the State Treasury currently appropriated to each such issuing, prescribing or promulgating government unit.

(b) Direct appropriation.--Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the right of the General Assembly to make annual appropriations to the bureau or the department, or both, for their total anticipated costs and expenses under this part.