Bill Text: NY A06574 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Increases the number of members in the public service commission from five to seven members.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A06574 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A06574-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6574
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     March 12, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to membership in the
          public service commission
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1. Section 4 of the public service law, as amended by chapter
     2  155 of the laws of 1970, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 4. The public service commission.  1. There shall be in the  depart-
     4  ment  of public service a public service commission, which shall possess
     5  the powers and duties hereinafter specified, and also all powers  neces-
     6  sary  or  proper to enable it to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
     7  The commission shall consist of [five] seven members, to be appointed by
     8  the governor, by and with the advice and  consent  of  the  senate.  Two
     9  members of the commission shall be selected from a not-for-profit organ-
    10  ization  with  a mission of consumer protection and/or social justice or
    11  having a background in consumer protection and/or social justice.    One
    12  member  of  the  seven member commission shall be a resident of a nonat-
    13  tainment area. A commissioner shall be designated  as  chairman  of  the
    14  commission  by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of
    15  the governor or until his or her term as commissioner expires  whichever
    16  first  occurs. No more than [three] five commissioners may be members of
    17  the same political party [unless, pursuant to action taken under  subdi-
    18  vision  two,  the number of commissioners shall exceed five, and in such
    19  event no more than four commissioners may be members of the  same  poli-
    20  tical party].
    21    2.  [Notwithstanding  subdivision  one,  whenever the commission shall
    22  certify to the governor that additional commissioners are needed for the
    23  proper disposition of the business before it, the governor may  increase
    24  the  membership  of  the  commission  to seven members by appointing two
    25  additional commissioners by and with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10471-01-9
        A. 6574                             2

     1  senate.  The  terms  of  office of such additional commissioners and the
     2  filling of vacancies during such terms shall be governed by  subdivision
     3  three,  except  that upon the expiration of the terms of such additional
     4  commissioners,  no  further appointments or reappointments shall be made
     5  to such additional offices, unless the commission shall first certify to
     6  the governor that the need for  additional  commissioners  continues  to
     7  exist.
     8    3.]  The  term of office of a commissioner shall be six years from the
     9  first day of February of the calendar year in which he or she  shall  be
    10  appointed  and  commissioners  shall  serve on a full-time basis. Upon a
    11  vacancy [occuring] occurring otherwise than by expiration of term in the
    12  office of any commissioner, the governor, by and  with  the  advice  and
    13  consent  of  the  senate,  shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the
    14  unexpired term.
    15    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.