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A8288Assembly2017-2018 SessionSame asS6335

Require Utility Bill Transparency

Official title

“Requires combination gas and electric corporations, the New York Power Authority, and the Long Island Power Authority to provide an annual transparency statement to customers”

Sponsor Amy PaulinAD-88+2 co-sponsorsAffects Legal
Status
Vetoed
Impact
3/10
Low
Outcome
Vetoed

Bill progress

Vetoed

What's happening

This bill requires New York gas and electric utilities to provide customers with an annual statement showing detailed charges in their bills.

Why it matters

  1. Shines a light on hidden costs. The bill requires utilities to break down and report often-overlooked charges (like property taxes, regulatory fees, environmental program costs, and payroll taxes) that are embedded in customer bills, helping customers see exactly what drives up their energy costs.

  2. Empowers customers for advocacy and comparison. By providing the percentage of each type of charge on an average bill, customers can better understand how much they pay for actual energy versus government mandates, taxes, and programs—enabling more informed discussions with policymakers and easier comparison between utilities.

  3. Highlights the impact of state energy policies. The transparency statement explicitly includes costs from programs such as energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and zero emission credits, offering customers a clearer view of how clean energy initiatives and regulatory decisions affect their bills.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Require Utility Bill Transparency

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Amy Paulin

Assembly Member · Assembly District 88

Chair, Health

History

  1. Tabled
  2. Vetoed memo.337
  3. Delivered to governor
  4. Returned to assembly
  5. Passed senateVote 63–0
  6. 3rd reading cal.96
  7. Substituted for S6335C
  8. Referred to energy and telecommunications
  9. Delivered to senate
  10. Passed assembly
  11. Advanced to third reading cal.743
  12. Reported
Show 7 earlier actions
  1. Reported referred to codes
  2. Print number 8288b
  3. Amend (t) and recommit to corporations, authorities and commissions
  4. Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
  5. Print number 8288a
  6. Amend (t) and recommit to corporations, authorities and commissions
  7. Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions

Companion bill

The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.

S6335Senate

Show Utility Bill Charges

Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Joseph A. Griffo

Impact 4 · Low0% to pass

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

8288--B

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

June 6, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the public service law and the public authorities law, in relation to requiring combination gas and electric corporations, the New York Power Authority and the Long Island Power Authority to provide an annual transparency statement to customers

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

Section 1. Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:

6. Commencing on January first, two thousand twenty-one, every combination gas and electric corporation on an annual basis, shall provide each customer with an annual transparency statement which shall detail the following charges on a gross basis which are included in each customer's delivery service portion of their utility bill, including but not limited to: (i) property taxes; (ii) sales and compensating use taxes; (iii) costs and expenses of the commission and department pursuant to section eighteen-a of this chapter; (iv) gross receipts taxes; (v) franchise and income taxes; (vi) metropolitan transportation authority payroll taxes; and (vii) fees, charges and costs imposed by the public service commission which are embedded in the customer bill. Such fees, charges and costs shall include costs from the implementation of reforming energy vision, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources and zero emission credits. Such transparency statement shall provide a percentage of the foregoing charges as applied to the average bill of a customer of such utility.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD11743-07-8

A. 8288--B 2

§ 2. Section 1005 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a new subdivision 26 to read as follows:

26. Commencing on January first, two thousand twenty-one, the authority, on an annual basis, shall provide each customer with an annual transparency statement which shall detail the following charges on a gross basis which are included in each customer's delivery service portion of their utility bill, including but not limited to: (i) property taxes; (ii) sales and compensating use taxes; (iii) costs and expenses of the authority and the public service commission pursuant to section eighteen-a of the public service law; (iv) gross receipts taxes; (v) franchise and income taxes; (vi) metropolitan transportation authority payroll taxes; and (vii) fees, charges and costs imposed by the authority which are embedded in the customer bill. Such fees, charges and costs shall include costs from the implementation of reforming energy vision, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources and zero emission credits. Such transparency statement shall provide a percentage of the foregoing charges as applied to the average bill of a customer of such utility.

§ 3. Sections 1020-jj, 1020-kk, and 1020-ll of the public authorities law, as renumbered by chapter 415 of the laws of 2017, are renumbered sections 1020-xx, 1020-yy, and 1020-zz and a new section 1020-jj is added to read as follows:

§ 1020-jj. Customer bills. Commencing on January first, two thousand twenty-one, the authority, on an annual basis, shall provide each customer with an annual transparency statement which shall detail the following charges on a gross basis which are included in each customer's delivery service portion of their utility bill, including but not limited to: (i) property taxes; (ii) sales and compensating use taxes; (iii) costs and expenses of the authority and the public service commission pursuant to section eighteen-a of the public service law; (iv) gross receipts taxes; (v) franchise and income taxes; (vi) metropolitan transportation authority payroll taxes; and (vii) fees, charges and costs imposed by the authority which are embedded in the customer bill. Such fees, charges and costs shall include costs from the implementation of reforming energy vision, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources and zero emission credits. Such transparency statement shall provide a percentage of the foregoing charges as applied to the average bill of a customer of such utility.

§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.