| 1 | 1 | | <STYLE><!--U {color: Green}S {color: RED} I {color: DARKBLUE; background-color:yellow} P.brk {page-break-before:always}--></STYLE> <BASEFONT SIZE=3> <PRE WIDTH="99"> <FONT SIZE=5><B> STATE OF NEW YORK</B></FONT> ________________________________________________________________________ 7567 2025-2026 Regular Sessions <FONT SIZE=5><B> IN SENATE</B></FONT> April 22, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- 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 and the public authorities law, in relation to providing a reimbursement to small business and resi- dential consumers of certain utilities for failure to provide contracted services <B><U>The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-</U></B> <B><U>bly, do enact as follows:</U></B> 1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 2 119-e to read as follows: 3 <B><U>§ 119-e. Failure to provide contracted services. 1. A residential</U></B> 4 <B><U>consumer or small business who has a contract for service with a gas</U></B> 5 <B><U>corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, water</U></B> 6 <B><U>corporation, steam corporation or a municipality rendering equivalent</U></B> 7 <B><U>utility services shall be entitled to a discount when the service such</U></B> 8 <B><U>residential consumer or small business has contracted for is not</U></B> 9 <B><U>provided for by such gas corporation, electric corporation, gas and</U></B> 10 <B><U>electric corporation, water corporation, steam corporation or a munici-</U></B> 11 <B><U>pality rendering equivalent utility services for a period of at least</U></B> 12 <B><U>forty-eight hours after the end of a failure of equipment, weather</U></B> 13 <B><U>event, natural disaster or any other disruption in the providing of</U></B> 14 <B><U>service. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations, within</U></B> 15 <B><U>one hundred eighty days from the effective date of this section, to</U></B> 16 <B><U>calculate how a utility shall reimburse a residential consumer or small</U></B> 17 <B><U>business pursuant to this section. Such reimbursement shall be applied</U></B> 18 <B><U>to the monthly charges assessed by such gas corporation, electric corpo-</U></B> 19 <B><U>ration, gas and electric corporation, water corporation, steam corpo-</U></B> 20 <B><U>ration or a municipality rendering equivalent utility services.</U></B> EXPLANATION--Matter in <B><U>italics</U></B> (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [<B><S> </S></B>] is old law to be omitted. LBD04270-01-5 </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="99"> S. 7567 2 1 <B><U>2. For purposes of this section, "small business" shall mean a busi-</U></B> 2 <B><U>ness which is resident in this state, independently owned and operated,</U></B> 3 <B><U>not dominant in its field and employs fifty or less persons.</U></B> 4 <B><U>3. No cost created pursuant to this section shall be the responsibil-</U></B> 5 <B><U>ity of a ratepayer.</U></B> 6 § 2. Section 1020-f of the public authorities law, as added by chapter 7 517 of the laws of 1986, is amended by adding a new subdivision (ll) to 8 read as follows: 9 <B><U>(ll) Failure to provide contracted services. 1. A residential consum-</U></B> 10 <B><U>er or small business who has a contract for service with a service</U></B> 11 <B><U>provider or the authority shall be entitled to a discount when the</U></B> 12 <B><U>service such residential consumer or small business has contracted for</U></B> 13 <B><U>is not provided for by such service provider or the authority for a</U></B> 14 <B><U>period of at least forty-eight hours after the end of a failure of</U></B> 15 <B><U>equipment, weather event, natural disaster or any other disruption in</U></B> 16 <B><U>the providing of service. The board shall promulgate rules and regu-</U></B> 17 <B><U>lations, within one hundred eighty days from the effective date of this</U></B> 18 <B><U>subdivision, to calculate how a service provider or the authority shall</U></B> 19 <B><U>reimburse a residential consumer or small business pursuant to this</U></B> 20 <B><U>subdivision. Such reimbursement shall be applied to the monthly charges</U></B> 21 <B><U>assessed by such service provider or the authority.</U></B> 22 <B><U>2. For purposes of this subdivision, "small business" shall mean a</U></B> 23 <B><U>business which is resident in this state, independently owned and oper-</U></B> 24 <B><U>ated, not dominant in its field and employs fifty or less persons.</U></B> 25 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. |
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