Bill Text: NY S01851 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Permits the rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation or municipality under certain circumstances; requires each utility corporation and municipality within six months to submit to the commission a model procedure for the calculation of estimated bills that incorporates best practices and technology and accounts for any barriers to the use of actual meter readings.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-15 - returned to senate [S01851 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01851-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1851--A
            Cal. No. 231

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 17, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  HINCHEY,  LIU,  MURRAY  -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Energy
          and  Telecommunications  --  reported  favorably  from said committee,
          ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed
          by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote  reconsidered,
          restored  to  third  reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining
          its place in the order of third reading

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation  to  permitting  the
          rendering  of  an estimated bill from a utility corporation or munici-
          pality under certain circumstances

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Subdivision 1 of section 39 of the public service law, as
     2  amended by chapter 686 of the laws of 2002, is amended and a new  subdi-
     3  vision 1-a is added to read as follows:
     4    1.  A utility corporation or municipality may, in accordance with such
     5  requirements as the commission may impose by regulation, render an esti-
     6  mated bill for any billing period if: (a) the  procedure  used  by  such
     7  utility  or  municipality  for  calculating  estimated  bills  has  been
     8  approved by the commission, and the bill clearly indicates  that  it  is
     9  based  on  an estimated reading and (b) the utility owning the meter and
    10  providing the meter reading data on which the  estimated  bill  will  be
    11  based or the municipality has made reasonable effort to obtain an actual
    12  meter  reading or (c) circumstances beyond the control of the utility or
    13  municipality made an actual reading of the meter extremely difficult  or
    14  (d) circumstances indicate a reported reading is likely to be erroneous,
    15  or  (e)  an estimated reading is prescribed or authorized by the commis-
    16  sion for a billing period between periods when actual meter readings are
    17  scheduled or for seasonal or short  term  customers.    Outside  of  the
    18  aforementioned  criteria for estimated billing pursuant to this section,
    19  all other bills shall use actual meter readings, however  such  readings

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02154-05-3
        S. 1851--A                          2

     1  may  be  obtained,  provided  that such readings are taken in accordance
     2  with the provisions of this section.  To  the  extent  practicable,  any
     3  additional  costs  required to achieve actual meter readings pursuant to
     4  this subdivision shall not be passed onto the customer.
     5    1-a. The commission shall require each utility corporation and munici-
     6  pality  within  six months to submit to the commission a model procedure
     7  for the calculation of estimated bills that incorporates best  practices
     8  and  technology and accounts for any barriers to the use of actual meter
     9  readings. On or before November first,  two  thousand  twenty-four,  the
    10  commission  shall  promulgate  rules  and regulations to incorporate and
    11  adopt such model procedures for utility corporations and municipalities.
    12    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.