STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7475--A 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY May 24, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- 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 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to establishing discount programs for veterans 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-w to read as follows: 3 § 66-w. Utility discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 4 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 5 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality to establish a 6 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 7 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 8 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on utility bills. The 9 fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and shall 10 not be added to bills rendered by a gas corporation, electric corpo- 11 ration or municipality to customers. 12 (b) A gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality which 13 offers such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the avail- 14 ability and amount of such discount on the website of such gas corpo- 15 ration, electric corporation or municipality. The availability and 16 amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the 17 accessibility page of the website of such gas corporation, electric 18 corporation or municipality. 19 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 20 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named utility service account- 21 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 22 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 23 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04720-06-3
A. 7475--A 2 1 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 2 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine 3 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 4 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 5 (b) A primary named utility service accountholder shall provide the 6 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality an authenticat- 7 ed copy of his or her discharge papers to be eligible for such 8 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 9 sion. 10 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to 11 read as follows: 12 § 89-q. Water discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 13 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require 14 waterworks corporations and municipal water systems to establish a 15 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 16 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 17 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on water utility bills. 18 The fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and 19 shall not be added to bills rendered by a waterworks corporation or 20 municipal water system to customers. 21 (b) A waterworks corporation or municipal water system which offers 22 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 23 amount of such discount on the website of such waterworks corporation or 24 municipal water system. The availability and amount of such discount 25 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 26 website of such waterworks corporation or municipal water system. 27 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 28 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named waterworks or municipal 29 water system service accountholder; (ii) has had a total household 30 income of less than fifty thousand dollars for the most recent two 31 consecutive income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri- 32 fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) served in and 33 who received any honorable or general discharge from the United States 34 army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard and/or the reserves 35 thereof, and/or the army national guard, air national guard, New York 36 guard or New York naval militia. 37 (b) A primary named waterworks or municipal water system service 38 accountholder shall provide the waterworks corporation or municipal 39 water system an authenticated copy of his or her discharge papers 40 to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under para- 41 graph (a) of this subdivision. 42 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to 43 read as follows: 44 § 91-b. Telephone discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 45 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 46 telephone corporation to establish a discount program for veterans no 47 later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 48 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 49 percent discount on telephone bills. The fiscal impact of such program 50 shall not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered 51 by a telephone corporation to customers. 52 (b) A telephone corporation which offers such discount program shall 53 conspicuously advertise the availability and amount of such discount on 54 the website of such telephone corporation. The availability and amount 55 of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessi- 56 bility page of the website of such telephone corporation.
A. 7475--A 3 1 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 2 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem 3 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele- 4 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para- 5 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi- 6 cient to satisfy such requirements. 7 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 8 sion, a telephone corporation may require proof of eligibility from the 9 primary named telephone service accountholder for the calendar year in 10 which the discount is sought. 11 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 12 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named telephone service 13 accountholder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty 14 thousand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 15 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 16 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 17 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine 18 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 19 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 20 (b) A primary named telephone service accountholder shall provide the 21 telephone corporation an authenticated copy of his or her discharge 22 papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under 23 paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 24 § 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d 25 to read as follows: 26 § 224-d. Cable discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 27 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 28 telephone corporation, as defined in subdivision seventeen of section 29 two of this chapter, and a cable television company, as defined in 30 section two hundred twelve of this article, that provides cable service 31 to customers in New York, to establish a discount program for veterans 32 no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 33 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 34 percent discount on cable bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall 35 not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by a 36 telephone corporation or cable television company to customers. 37 (b) A telephone corporation or cable television company which offers 38 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 39 amount of such discount on the website of such telephone corporation or 40 cable television company. The availability and amount of such discount 41 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 42 website of such telephone corporation or cable television company. 43 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 44 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem 45 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele- 46 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para- 47 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi- 48 cient to satisfy such requirements. 49 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 50 sion, a telephone corporation or cable television company may require 51 proof of eligibility from the primary named cable service accountholder 52 for the calendar year in which the discount is sought. 53 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 54 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named cable service account- 55 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 56 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years
A. 7475--A 4 1 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 2 tion and finance; and (iii) received any honorable or general discharge 3 from the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard 4 and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national guard, air 5 national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 6 (b) A primary named cable service accountholder shall provide the 7 telephone corporation or the cable television company an authenticated 8 copy of his or her discharge papers to be eligible for such discount to 9 demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 10 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 11 it shall have become a law.