What's happening
This bill requires utility companies in New York to provide customers with an annual statement detailing charges included in their utility bills.
Why it matters
Promotes consumer awareness. by requiring utilities to break down specific taxes, fees, and regulatory charges included in the delivery portion of bills, helping customers understand exactly where their money goes.
Highlights the impact of state policies and surcharges. , such as those supporting energy efficiency, zero emission credits, and other public mandates, making the cost of these programs more visible to the public.
Enables more informed consumer choices and advocacy. by providing a percentage breakdown of each charge relative to the average bill, equipping customers with data to question, compare, or challenge utility charges.
Applies to all major New York utility providers. (including private companies, the New York Power Authority, and the Long Island Power Authority), ensuring broad and uniform transparency standards across the state.
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Who cares
Combination gas and electric corporations
They would have to send each customer an annual statement detailing taxes, regulatory costs and energy program charges embedded in delivery charges.
New York Power Authority and Long Island Power Authority
Both authorities would face annual customer disclosure requirements covering embedded taxes, authority costs and energy program charges.
Customers of covered utilities and authorities
They would receive a breakdown of these charges and their percentage of the utility’s average customer bill.
Public Service Commission
Its embedded fees and costs, including costs associated with energy efficiency, distributed energy resources and zero emission credits, would be subject to disclosure.
Headline styles
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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
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7549
IN SENATE
January 24, 2020
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 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-two, 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.
§ 2. Section 1005 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a new subdivision 28 to read as follows:
28. Commencing on January first, two thousand twenty-two, 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;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07018-02-0
S. 7549 2
(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, 1020-ll and 1020-ll of the public authorities law, sections 1020-jj, 1020-kk and 1020-ll as renumbered by chapter 520 of the laws of 2018, and section 1020-ll as renumbered by chapter 415 of the laws of 2017, are renumbered sections 1020-ww, 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-two, 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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
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
Purpose
This bill would require every combination gas and electric corporation, the New York Power Authority, and the Long Island Power Authority to provide each customer with an annual transparency statement, which shall detail charges on a gross basis included in each customer's delivery service portion of their utility bill including various taxes as well as charges and costs imposed by the public service commission that are embedded in the customer bill.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill provides that commencing on January 1, 2022, every combination gas and electric corporation, the New York Power Authority, and the Long Island Power Authority on an annual basis shall provide each customer with an annual transparency statement which shall detail charges included in each customer's delivery service portion of their utility bill, including property taxes, sales and compensating use taxes, costs and expenses of the Department of Public Service, gross receipts taxes, franchise and income taxes, MTA authority payroll taxes and fees, charges and costs imposed by the Public Service Commission which are embedded in the customer bill.
Section two of the bill sets forth the effective date.
Justification
Electric bills are increasingly complex with numerous components. The electric industry in New York State is in transition as the Public Service Commission (PSC) implements Reforming the Energy Vision. In addition, the Clean Energy Standard has been adopted by the PSC. These programs will result in mandates on the utilities, which will translate into additional costs for electric customers. The charges on the elec- tric utility bill are simplistically listed for delivery services and supply services. There are multiple constituent costs included in supply services, which are continuing to evolve under the new regulatory regime.
The requirement for utilities, the New York Power Authority, and the Long Island Power Authority to provide an annual transparency statement will assist customers in eliminating confusion about their bills. It will also eliminate the perception by many that the complexity is designed to conceal the cost structure. An annual transparency statement provides the consumer with an opportunity to examine and understand what costs are on their bill. The delineation of charges such as legacy tran- sition, municipal underground, clean energy deliver, systems benefit, zero emissions credit, and state and local taxes will provide the consumer with a detailed view of what is included in the charge and the percentage impact on their:electric bill. This information will encour- age customers to be more cognizant of the charges included on their bill as a result of PSC actions. Many consumers are not aware of these costs, which are included in the delivery services portion of their bill or embedded elsewhere in the bill. These various charges constitute signif- icant cost drivers in their utility bill. This legislation is intended to increase awareness, which could result in increased public partic- ipation and interest in the PSC proceedings by members of the general public.
Legislative history
A.8288-8, 2018, veto memo 337. Same as S.6335-c, veto memo 337. A.8288, 2017, referred to corporations, authorities and commissions Same as S.6335-c, 2017, committed to rules.
Fiscal implications
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.