Bill Text: NY S02616 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S02616 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02616-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2616

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 23, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to the establishment
          of  reduced  residential rates for electric and natural gas service to
          furloughed or non-pay federal workers; and providing for the repeal of
          such provisions upon expiration thereof

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

     1    Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
     2  66-u to read as follows:
     3    § 66-u. Reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service
     4  to furloughed or non-pay federal  customers.  1.  The  commission  shall
     5  require  electric  and natural gas corporations to establish programs of
     6  rate reduction and other assistance to residential electric and  natural
     7  gas  customers  who  have  been  either furloughed or designated non-pay
     8  federal employees due to a period of a lapse in discretionary  appropri-
     9  ations  by the federal government, the revenue impact of which shall not
    10  be borne solely by any single class of customer.  The  commission  shall
    11  ensure  appropriate  levels  of  rate  reduction  for  such electric and
    12  natural gas customers to mitigate hardship.  In establishing the  appro-
    13  priate  percentage  reduction  the commission shall ensure to the extent
    14  feasible that ratepayers who have been furloughed or designated  non-pay
    15  federal employees are not jeopardized or overburdened by rates for elec-
    16  tric and natural gas service.
    17    2.  The  commission  shall  establish  customer income and categorical
    18  eligibility standards for reduced rates, which  shall  include,  without
    19  limitation,  customers  providing  documentation demonstrating that they
    20  have been furloughed or designated non-pay as a result of a period of  a
    21  lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06366-01-3
        S. 2616                             2

     1    3.  The commission shall require providers of electric and natural gas
     2  service to provide information and application forms for  reduced  rates
     3  to  eligible customers on their websites, at their offices, and by other
     4  means, and to provide information regarding the availability and  eligi-
     5  bility  standards for reduced rates to residential customers at the time
     6  of service initiation, in bill inserts, in communications with customers
     7  in arrears, and by other means required or approved by the commission.
     8    4. The commission shall require electric and natural gas  corporations
     9  to  establish  reduced rates pursuant to this section to be effective no
    10  later than thirty days after the effective date of this section, and  to
    11  file periodic reports regarding the number of eligible customers receiv-
    12  ing  reduced rates, utility efforts to provide reduced residential rates
    13  to all customers eligible for them, and other information deemed  neces-
    14  sary  or  appropriate by the commission for the efficient administration
    15  of the reduced rates.
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
    17  deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law.