Bill Text: NY S00690 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the public service commission to undertake a study of consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and utilities; includes reporting on the adequacy of the public service commission's assistance to customers facing disconnection of utility service.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S00690 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S00690-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          690
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 9, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
         cations
       AN  ACT  to direct the public service commission to undertake a study of
         consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and utilities
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  The New York State public service commission shall under-
    2  take an immediate study of  consumer  protections  adopted  by  electric
    3  corporations  and  municipalities ("utilities") pursuant to article 2 of
    4  the public service law and provide a report to the governor, the  tempo-
    5  rary  president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of
    6  the senate committee on energy and telecommunications and the  chair  of
    7  the  assembly committee on energy. Such report shall include an analysis
    8  of the effectiveness of current utility procedures for notifying custom-
    9  ers in arrears on utility charges of how they may avoid  termination  of
   10  electric,  gas  or steam service, including the availability of deferred
   11  payment agreements. In addition, such report shall review  the  adequacy
   12  of the commission's assistance to customers negotiating deferred payment
   13  agreements  with utilities in lieu of disconnection of service including
   14  the number of deferred payment plans by utility service  territory;  the
   15  number of incidences, if any, in which utilities have required more than
   16  the  lawfully  allowed  level of down payments or deferred payments from
   17  customers seeking to connect service or avoid disconnection; the  effec-
   18  tiveness and availability of the commission's shutoff hotline in receiv-
   19  ing  calls  from customers facing termination of electric, gas and steam
   20  service; the call volume to such hotline in each utility service  terri-
   21  tory;  the  monthly  number  of  electric  and natural gas customers who
   22  previously received utility bill assistance from the Home Energy Assist-
   23  ance Program whose service was terminated for bill  collection  purposes
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02557-01-3
       S. 690                              2
    1  in  each  utility  service  area in the previous calendar year, provided
    2  further that the commission shall  require  each  utility  provide  such
    3  information while maintaining customer confidentiality; and any proposed
    4  legislative  remedies  necessary  to increase customer awareness of such
    5  hotline. The report shall be made available to the public on the commis-
    6  sion's website.
    7    S 2. The New York State public service commission shall seek  comments
    8  from  utilities,  municipalities,  consumer advocates and the public and
    9  may include in the report recommendations to improve  existing  consumer
   10  protection policies.
   11    S  3. If the study pursuant to section one of this act is not received
   12  by November 15,  2014,  the  commission  shall  institute  a  moratorium
   13  preventing  utility corporations from terminating electric, gas or steam
   14  service to any residential customer in arrears with whom it has  entered
   15  into  an  agreement  for  the provision of such services. The moratorium
   16  shall last for the period beginning December 1, 2014 and ending on March
   17  31, 2015. Nothing in this act shall be construed to  prevent  a  utility
   18  corporation  from  charging customers for electric, gas or steam service
   19  or from offering a deferred payment agreement for the  period  beginning
   20  December 1, 2014 and ending on March 31, 2015.
   21    S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.