NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2354

Senate Bill S2354

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to the establishment of reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers

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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to energy and telecommunications
Jan 24, 2019	referred to energy and telecommunications

2019-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §66-p, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S3297
2023-2024: S2616

2019-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the establishment of reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers.

2019-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2354

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to the establishment
of reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to
furloughed or non-pay federal workers; and providing for the repeal of
such provisions upon expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OF GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Establishes reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas
service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1:

The public service commission shall require electric and natural gas
corporations to establish programs of rate reduction and other assist-

ance to residential electric and natural gas customers who have been
either furloughed or designated non-pay federal employees due to a peri-
od of a lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government,
the revenue impact of which shall be borne solely by any single class of
customer.

The PSC shall ensure appropriate levels of rate reduction for such elec-
tric and natural gas customers to mitigate hardship. In establishing the
appropriate percentage reduction the commission shall ensure to the
feasible that ratepayers who have been furloughed or designated non-pay
federal employees are not jeopardized or overburdened by rates for elec-
tric and natural gas service.

Section 2:

The PSC shall establish customer income and categorical eligibility
standards for reduced rates, which shall include, without limitation,
customers providing documentation demonstrating that they have been
furloughed or designated non-pay as a result of a period of a lapse in
discretionary appropriations by the federal government.

Section 3:

The PSC shall require providers of electric and natural service to
provide information and application forms for reduced to eligible
customers.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

With no end in sight, the Federal Government shutdown of 2019 represents
an unprecedented loss of income for the many federal government workers
in New York State. Unfortunately, during this cold winter, the demands
of expensive utility bills are very real. When the Federal Government
has failed us, New York State should do whatever we can to help families
to pay their expensive utilities on time. Providing reduced residential
electric and gas rates furloughed workers is important to protect New
York families.

This legislation will assist furloughed workers in utility payment and
protect Federal Employees and their families from the economic loss of
having to borrow money at high interest rates to pay their expensive
winter utility bills. In addition, the more affordable rates will
protect Federal employees and their families from possible damage to
their credit by not being able to make utility payments on time.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately

2019-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2354
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- 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 the establishment
   of  reduced  residential rates for electric and natural gas service to
   furloughed or non-pay federal workers; 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 public service law is amended by adding a new section
 66-p to read as follows:
   § 66-P. REDUCED RESIDENTIAL RATES FOR ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE
 TO FURLOUGHED OR NON-PAY FEDERAL  CUSTOMERS.  1.  THE  COMMISSION  SHALL
 REQUIRE  ELECTRIC  AND NATURAL GAS CORPORATIONS TO ESTABLISH PROGRAMS OF
 RATE REDUCTION AND OTHER ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC AND  NATURAL
 GAS  CUSTOMERS  WHO  HAVE  BEEN  EITHER FURLOUGHED OR DESIGNATED NON-PAY
 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DUE TO A PERIOD OF A LAPSE IN DISCRETIONARY  APPROPRI-
 ATIONS  BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE REVENUE IMPACT OF WHICH SHALL NOT
 BE BORNE SOLELY BY ANY SINGLE CLASS OF CUSTOMER.  THE  COMMISSION  SHALL
 ENSURE  APPROPRIATE  LEVELS  OF  RATE  REDUCTION  FOR  SUCH ELECTRIC AND
 NATURAL GAS CUSTOMERS TO MITIGATE HARDSHIP.  IN ESTABLISHING THE  APPRO-
 PRIATE  PERCENTAGE  REDUCTION  THE COMMISSION SHALL ENSURE TO THE EXTENT
 FEASIBLE THAT RATEPAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN FURLOUGHED OR DESIGNATED  NON-PAY
 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ARE NOT JEOPARDIZED OR OVERBURDENED BY RATES FOR ELEC-
 TRIC AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE.
   2.  THE  COMMISSION  SHALL  ESTABLISH  CUSTOMER INCOME AND CATEGORICAL
 ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS FOR REDUCED RATES, WHICH  SHALL  INCLUDE,  WITHOUT
 LIMITATION,  CUSTOMERS  PROVIDING  DOCUMENTATION DEMONSTRATING THAT THEY
 HAVE BEEN FURLOUGHED OR DESIGNATED NON-PAY AS A RESULT OF A PERIOD OF  A
 LAPSE IN DISCRETIONARY APPROPRIATIONS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08635-01-9

 S. 2354                             2
 
   3.  THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE PROVIDERS OF ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS
 SERVICE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORMS FOR  REDUCED  RATES
 TO  ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS ON THEIR WEBSITES, AT THEIR OFFICES, AND BY OTHER
 MEANS, AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY AND  ELIGI-
 BILITY  STANDARDS FOR REDUCED RATES TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AT THE TIME
 OF SERVICE INITIATION, IN BILL INSERTS, IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS
 IN ARREARS, AND BY OTHER MEANS REQUIRED OR APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION.
   4. THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS  CORPORATIONS
 TO  ESTABLISH  REDUCED RATES PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION TO BE EFFECTIVE NO
 LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, AND  TO
 FILE PERIODIC REPORTS REGARDING THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS RECEIV-
 ING  REDUCED RATES, UTILITY EFFORTS TO PROVIDE REDUCED RESIDENTIAL RATES
 TO ALL CUSTOMERS ELIGIBLE FOR THEM, AND OTHER INFORMATION DEEMED  NECES-
 SARY  OR  APPROPRIATE BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION
 OF THE REDUCED RATES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
 deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law.

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