NY State Senate Bill 2015-S7784

Senate Bill S7784

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Directs the department of state and public service commission to study and report upon disclosure by utilities to credit reporting agencies of late payments

download bill text pdf

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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 12, 2016	referred to energy and telecommunications

2015-S7784 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A759
Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Services
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: A7817
2011-2012: A4830
2013-2014: A2338
2017-2018: S5039, A657
2019-2020: S2355, A2330
2021-2022: S2933, A3518
2023-2024: S2623

2015-S7784 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of state and the public service commission to study and report upon the prevalence of the disclosure by public utilities, cable television companies and cellular telephone service providers to credit reporting agencies of late payments and defaults in payment of fees and charges by consumers.

2015-S7784 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S7784

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to direct the department of state and the
public service commission to jointly study and report upon the
provision to consumer credit reporting agencies by public utility
companies, cable television companies and cellular telephone service
suppliers of information on late payments of or default on any fees or
charges incurred by consumers; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of State and
Public Service Commission to study and make recommendations regarding
the practice of utility, cable, and telephone service providers
reporting customer payment information to consumer reporting agencies.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

This bill would require the Department of State and Public Service
Commission to study the prevalence of utility, cable, and telephone
service providers reporting customer payment information to consumer
reporting agencies. The Department and Commission would be tasked with
making recommendations on the regulatory and statutory provisions
necessary to protect consumers in this area and issuing a report to
the Governor and Legislature by December 31, 2016.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Delinquent utility bills can hurt customer credit ratings if they are
reported to a credit bureau. Reporting a late payment of utility bill
can be as harmful as any other late payment of mortgage or credit card
bill. The credit scores are calculated in different ways, depending on
the credit bureau, however, it is common among all of them that a late
payment flags the customer as a high-risk. A customer who pays a late
fee once does not necessarily qualify for a high risk rating or being
under the universal default status.

This bill would provide the Legislature with the information necessary
to determine whether the State should regulate the reporting of
customer payment information by utilities and other service providers
in order to protect consumers from suffering damaged credit scores.
Some companies do not report to the credit bureaus customers that have
been paying their bills on a timely manner, which would help them
improve their credit score. However, the same companies have been
reporting customers that paid their bills late and have been charged a
late fee. This makes customers pay extra for their service, while
their credit score is negatively affected. Under this bill, the
Department of State and Public Service Commission would examine this
practice and report on any regulatory or legislative recommendations
necessary to protect consumers in this area.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

Similar Bill: 2009-2010: A.7817 - Referred to Consumer Affairs and
Protection
A.2338 - 2013-2014

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS :

To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed January 1, 2017.

2015-S7784 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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

                                  7784

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              May 12, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
  cations

AN  ACT to direct the department of state and the public service commis-
  sion to jointly study and report upon the provision to consumer credit
  reporting agencies  by  public  utility  companies,  cable  television
  companies  and  cellular telephone service suppliers of information on
  late payments of or default on any fees or charges incurred by consum-
  ers; and providing for the repeal of such provisions  upon  expiration
  thereof

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

  Section 1.  The department of state and the public service  commission
shall  jointly examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning the
prevalence of reporting, disclosure and otherwise  making  available  to
any  consumer  credit reporting agency, as defined in subdivision (k) of
section 380-a of the general business law, by any public utility company
as defined in subdivision 23 of section 2 of the public service law, any
municipality engaged in providing any public utility,  any  cable  tele-
vision  company as defined in subdivision 1 of section 212 of the public
service law, any wireless communications service supplier as defined  in
subdivision  12  of section 301 of the county law, the Long Island power
authority or the power authority of the state of New York, any  informa-
tion  relating  to  the late payment of or default on the payment of any
charges or fees by consumers for the provision of any public utility  or
other services or goods. The department and commission shall study, with
particular  care, the practice of reporting consumer payment information
by the above entities to consumer credit  reporting  agencies  and  make
recommendations  on the regulatory and statutory provisions necessary to
protect consumers in this area.
  S 2. The department of state and the public service  commission  shall
hold  joint  public  hearings  throughout  the  state for the purpose of
conducting their duties pursuant to section one of this act.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD00663-01-5

S. 7784                             2

  S 3. On or before December 31, 2016, the department of state  and  the
public service commission shall submit a joint report of their findings,
conclusions and recommendations to the governor and the legislature, and
shall  submit with such report such regulatory and legislative proposals
as they deem necessary to implement their recommendations.
  S  4.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed January 1, 2017.

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