Assembly Bill A7118

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7118--A
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 10, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. RYAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Energy -- recommitted to the Committee on Energy in accordance with
   Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to  a  rate  classi-
   fication for volunteer emergency response organizations
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings  and  intent.  Volunteer  emergency
 response organizations provide a public benefit to the state of New York
 and lessen the burdens of government. Further, members of these not-for-
 profit  organizations  risk their lives to ensure the safety, health and
 general welfare of our citizens. In the past,  the  state  of  New  York
 recognized  the  value  of  similar  organizations and the sacrifices of
 their members when it established a reduced utility rate  for  veterans'
 organizations. Therefore, the legislature hereby finds and declares that
 volunteer  emergency  response organizations and veterans' organizations
 are similarly situated in their structures, practices and  actions,  and
 further  finds and declares that a reduced utility rate is justified for
 volunteer emergency response organizations to help ensure their  contin-
 ued operation.
   §  2.  Subdivision  14  of  section  66  of the public service law, as
 amended by chapter 696 of the laws  of  1936,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   14.  (A)  The  commission  shall have power to require each gas corpo-
 ration and electric corporation to establish classifications of  service
 based  upon the quantity used, the time when used, the purpose for which
 used, the duration of use and upon any other  reasonable  consideration,
 and  to  establish in connection therewith just and reasonable graduated
 rates and charges; and it shall have power,  either  upon  complaint  or
 upon  its  own  motion, to require such changes in such classifications,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD07624-03-8

 A. 7118--A                          2
 
 rates and charges as it shall  determine  to  be  just  and  reasonable.
 Neither  the  scheduled  rates  nor  the  minimum charge for residential
 customers shall, after July first,  nineteen  hundred  thirty-seven,  be
 based  in any manner on the number of outlets, number of rooms, cubic or
 square foot area or other such standards.
   (B) IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE  COMMIS-
 SION  SHALL  REQUIRE  EACH  GAS  CORPORATION AND ELECTRIC CORPORATION TO
 ESTABLISH BY JANUARY FIRST, TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY  A  CLASSIFICATION  OF
 SERVICE FOR VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS IN WHICH THE RATE
 FOR  ANY GAS OR ELECTRIC SERVICE UTILIZED EXCLUSIVELY IN CONNECTION WITH
 SUCH VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANIZATION SHALL BE NO GREATER  THAN
 THE  RATE  CHARGED TO VETERANS' ORGANIZATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION SEVEN-
 TY-SIX OF THIS ARTICLE THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE SAME VILLAGE, TOWN OR
 MUNICIPALITY. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM  "VOLUNTEER
 EMERGENCY  RESPONSE  ORGANIZATION"  SHALL  MEAN A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
 AND/OR A VOLUNTARY AMBULANCE  SERVICE  AS  SUCH  TERMS  ARE  DEFINED  IN
 SECTION ONE HUNDRED OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW.
   §  3. Subdivision 28 of section 66 of the public service law, as added
 by chapter 82 of the laws of 1998, is amended to read as follows:
   28. (A) No revenues foregone by an electric corporation, as  a  result
 of  subjecting  certain  veterans'  organizations  with rates or charges
 applicable to domestic consumers pursuant to section seventy-six of this
 article, shall be recovered from the customers of such corporation.
   (B) NO REVENUES FOREGONE BY A GAS CORPORATION OR  AN  ELECTRIC  CORPO-
 RATION,  AS A RESULT OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CLASSIFICATION OF SERVICE
 FOR VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION
 FOURTEEN  OF THIS SECTION, SHALL BE RECOVERED FROM THE CUSTOMERS OF SUCH
 CORPORATION.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.