What's happening
This bill requires the Public Service Commission to study and report on utility consumer protections, with a possible moratorium on service terminations if the report is delayed.
Why it matters
Requires a thorough review of how utilities notify customers at risk of service termination. , which could reveal gaps in communication about available options (like deferred payment agreements) and potentially lead to improved outreach and support for vulnerable customers.
Calls for detailed data collection and analysis on utility shutoffs, payment plans, and hotline effectiveness. , allowing policymakers and the public to better understand where protections may be failing and which groups are most affected by disconnections.
Mandates utility cooperation and public input. , ensuring that the study incorporates perspectives from utilities, municipalities, consumer advocates, and the public, which could result in more balanced and effective consumer protection recommendations.
Introduces accountability by tying timely completion of the study to a moratorium on service terminations. , meaning if the Public Service Commission fails to deliver its report on time, at-risk customers would be temporarily shielded from shutoffs—creating pressure for timely action and offering a safety net during the study period.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Utility Consumer Protections
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
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.
Study Utility Consumer Protections
In Assembly Committee · Energy · Sponsor Aravella Simotas
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2764
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 29, 2019
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications
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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The New York State public service commission shall undertake an immediate study of consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and municipalities ("utilities") pursuant to article 2 of the public service law and provide a report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate committee on energy and telecommunications and the chair of the assembly committee on energy. Such report shall include an analysis of the effectiveness of current utility procedures for notifying customers in arrears on utility charges of how they may avoid termination of electric, gas or steam service, including the availability of deferred payment agreements. In addition, such report shall review the adequacy of the commission's assistance to customers negotiating deferred payment agreements with utilities in lieu of disconnection of service including the number of deferred payment plans by utility service territory; the number of incidences, if any, in which utilities have required more than the lawfully allowed level of down payments or deferred payments from customers seeking to connect service or avoid disconnection; the effectiveness and availability of the commission's shutoff hotline in receiving calls from customers facing termination of electric, gas and steam service; the call volume to such hotline in each utility service territory; the monthly number of electric and natural gas customers who previously received utility bill assistance from the Home Energy Assistance Program whose service was terminated for bill collection purposes in each utility service area in the previous calendar year, provided
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01383-01-9
S. 2764 2
further that the commission shall require each utility provide such information while maintaining customer confidentiality; and any proposed legislative remedies necessary to increase customer awareness of such hotline. The report shall be made available to the public on the commission's website.
§ 2. The New York State public service commission shall seek comments from utilities, municipalities, consumer advocates and the public and may include in the report recommendations to improve existing consumer protection policies.
§ 3. If the study pursuant to section one of this act is not received by November 15, 2020, the commission shall institute a moratorium preventing utility corporations from terminating electric, gas or steam service to any residential customer in arrears with whom it has entered into an agreement for the provision of such services. The moratorium shall last for the period beginning December 1, 2020 and ending on March 31, 2021. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent a utility corporation from charging customers for electric, gas or steam service or from offering a deferred payment agreement for the period beginning December 1, 2020 and ending on March 31, 2021.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to direct the public service commission to undertake a study of consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and utilities
Purpose or general idea of bill
To place a temporary moratorium on electric, gas or steam service termi- nations to residential customers, until the Public Service Commission (PSC) completes a review of existing consumer protection policies. The review will evaluate the current policies' effectiveness in addressing consumer issues and protecting consumer welfare.
Summary of provisions
The legislation directs the PSC to complete a report on the effective- ness of existing consumer protection policies by November 15th, 2016.
The report must include analyses on the following:
1) the effectiveness of current utility procedures for notifying custom- ers in arrears on utility charges of how they may avoid termination of their services. This analysis must include an assessment on the avail- ability of deferred payment agreements;
2) the adequacy of the PSC's assistance to customers, including an anal- ysis of the commission's effectiveness in negotiating deferred payment agreements with utilities. The PSC will also be required to collect and include in its report certain statistics pertaining to the geographic locations and assistance statuses of customers seeking to connect service or avoid termination, and statistics pertaining to the PSC shutoff hotline;
The PSC must seek comments from utilities, municipalities, consumer advocates and the public. The PSC may use these comments as bases for its evaluation on existing consumer protection policies.
The report must be submitted to the governor, temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate committee on energy and telecommunications and chair of the assembly committee on energy by November 15th, 2018. The report must also be posted online. If the PSC fails to complete its review by the required date, utilities will be prohibited from terminating electric, gas or steam service between December 1st, 2018 and March 31st, 2019, or until the PSC completes its review. The bill would not preclude utilities from charging customers for electric, gas or steam services during the moratorium period.
Justification
Many utilities terminate many consumers' electric, gas or Steam service during winter months. Terminations during New York's cold winter months cause significant discomfort to those targeted by the terminations, and create significant health and safety risks. The utilities' copious winter terminations suggest that existing consumer protection policies are inadequate. Until the PSC identifies and suggests remedies for these
inadequacies, New York's consumers remain vulnerable to potentially unjustified or unreasonable winter service terminations.
Prior legislative history
2017-18: S.1525
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.