NY State Senate Bill 2019-S8908

Senate Bill S8908

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Provides a one hundred dollar per day credit to customers of electric and gas corporations for power outages of twenty-four hours or more

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules 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
Aug 12, 2020	referred to rules

co-Sponsors

2019-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10986
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §73, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S4188
2023-2024: S5565

2019-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides a one hundred dollar per day credit to customers of electric and gas corporations for power outages of twenty-four hours or more.

2019-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S8908

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to providing a one
hundred dollar per day credit to customers of electric and gas corpo-
rations for power outages of twenty-four hours or more

 
PURPOSE:

Requires electric and gas corporations to provide direct credits of $100
per day for power outages that last twenty four hours or more.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Adds a new section 73 to the Public Service Law which requires electric
and gas corporations to provide direct credits of $100 per day for power
outages that last twenty four hours or more.

JUSTIFICATION:

On August 4th, Tropical Storm Isaias hit New York with heavy rain,
tornadoes, and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. The storm left
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power across New York City,
Long Island, Westchester and the Hudson Valley, including over 420,000
customers in the PSEG-LI service territory, 260,000 customers in the Con
Edison service territory, and 90,000 customers in the NYSEG service
territory. The storm also disrupted the regions' telephone, cable, and
internet services; services that are particularly essential for New
Yorker's during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outages and service
disruptions lasted for multiple days, and in some areas of the State
many homes and businesses are still waiting to be reconnected.

While electric and gas corporations have internal policies that can
cover spoilage of food and medication up to a point, such policies rely
upon the noblesse oblige of the utility and can be denied, reduced,
rejected or capped. An affirmative credit, in statute, set at a reason-
able $100 per day should provide sufficient incentive for utilities to
get power restored in 24 hours, or give customers a direct benefit for
the hardship.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8908
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 12, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to providing  a  one
   hundred  dollar per day credit to customers of electric and gas corpo-
   rations for power outages of twenty-four hours or more
 
   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
 73 to read as follows:
   § 73. POWER OUTAGE CREDIT. EVERY ELECTRIC CORPORATION AND  GAS  CORPO-
 RATION  IN  THIS STATE SHALL PROVIDE ITS CUSTOMERS WITH A CREDIT TO SUCH
 CUSTOMERS' ACCOUNTS AT ANY TIME A CUSTOMER IS WITHOUT POWER FOR A PERIOD
 OF TIME IN EXCESS OF TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. SUCH  CREDIT  SHALL  BE  IN  THE
 AMOUNT  OF  ONE  HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EACH TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PERIOD THAT A
 CUSTOMER IS WITHOUT POWER AND SHALL ONLY BE CREDITED TO THE  ACCOUNT  OF
 EACH  CUSTOMER  OF  SUCH CORPORATION WHO HAS BEEN WITHOUT POWER FOR SUCH
 PERIOD OF TIME. CREDIT TO A CUSTOMER'S ACCOUNT  MADE  PURSUANT  TO  THIS
 SECTION  SHALL  BE  USED TO PAY CHARGES AGAINST SUCH ACCOUNT ASSESSED BY
 THE ELECTRIC CORPORATION OR GAS CORPORATION AND SUCH CUSTOMER SHALL  NOT
 BE REQUIRED TO PAY ON SUCH ACCOUNT UNTIL SUCH CREDIT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY
 EXHAUSTED.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD17114-01-0

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Senate Bill S8908

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie