Senate Bill S4449

2013-2014 Legislative Session

Requires public utilities to issue standardized bills to residential customers

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2013-S4449 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§44 & 224-b, add §92-g, Pub Serv L

2013-S4449 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires providers of electric, gas, steam, telephone and cable television services to issue standardized bills to residential customers; provides the standards for such bills shall be established by the public service commission.

2013-S4449 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2013-S4449 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4449

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              April 1, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  LIBOUS -- 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, in relation to requiring provid-
  ers of electric, gas, steam, telephone and cable television service to
  use  a  uniform  format,  and uniform terminologies and definitions in
  bills for residential service; and providing for the  repeal  of  such
  provisions upon the expiration thereof

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
the "uniform utility consumer comparison act".
  S  2.  Subdivision 1 of section 44 of the public service law, as added
by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
  1. Every utility corporation or municipality shall assure  that  bills
for  service to residential customers adequately explain the charges for
service in clear and understandable form and language. FURTHERMORE, SUCH
BILLS SHALL UTILIZE THE FORMAT, TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS  ESTABLISHED
THEREFOR  BY  THE  COMMISSION.  The commission [may] SHALL, from time to
time, specify [the] A UNIFORM form and content [of] FOR  such  bills  to
further  the objectives of this subdivision. SUCH FORM AND CONTENT SHALL
REQUIRE THE USE OF SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS.
  S 3.  The public service law is amended by adding a new  section  92-g
to read as follows:
  S  92-G.  UNIFORMITY IN RESIDENTIAL BILLS. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
SECTION, "PROVIDER OF TELEPHONE SERVICES" MEANS A TELEPHONE  CORPORATION
THAT  PROVIDES INTRASTATE INTER-LATA, INTRA-LATA OR LOCAL EXCHANGE TELE-
PHONE SERVICE TO END-USE CUSTOMERS.
  2. EVERY PROVIDER OF TELEPHONE SERVICES SHALL ASSURE  THAT  BILLS  FOR
TELEPHONE SERVICE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN THE CHARG-
ES  FOR  SERVICE  AND ALL OTHER CHARGES IN CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE FORM

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10036-03-3
              

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