Makes provisions regarding the payment of utility bills to authorized payment agencies providing that such payment shall be deemed to be a payment to the utility on the date of payment to the agent, requiring written contracts between a utility and its payment agent and review of such contracts by the public service commission.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
8907
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 19, 2022
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN, OTIS, ABINANTI, VANEL -- Multi-Sponsored
by -- M. of A. PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to protecting resi-
dential utility customers who make bill payments to authorized payment
agents, to provide for written contracts between electric corporations
and payment agents, and to provide for public service commission
review of the credit-worthiness of payment agents in certain cases
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 45 of the public service law, as added by chapter
713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
§ 45. Payment agencies. 1. A utility corporation or municipality may
permit its customers to pay their bills to [a] AN AUTHORIZED payment
agent. The date of payment to any such AUTHORIZED PAYMENT agent shall be
regarded as the date of payment to the utility or municipality, AND THE
PAYMENT SHALL BE REGARDED AS IF IT WERE PAID DIRECTLY TO THE UTILITY OR
MUNICIPALITY ON SUCH DATE. WHERE A CUSTOMER OF SUCH UTILITY OR MUNICI-
PALITY HAS PAID A BILL TO AN AUTHORIZED PAYMENT AGENT ON OR BEFORE A
DESIGNATED DUE DATE, NO PENALTY OR EXTRA CHARGE SHALL ACCRUE ON SUCH
BILL FOR THE REASON THAT THE PAYMENT DID NOT REACH THE CORPORATION OR
MUNICIPALITY ON OR BEFORE THE DESIGNATED DUE DATE.
2. NO PARTY SHALL ACT AS PAYMENT OR COLLECTION AGENT WITH RESPECT TO
MORE THAN TWENTY RESIDENTIAL UNITS FOR THE PURPOSE OF COLLECTING AND
REMITTING TO SUCH ELECTRIC CORPORATION ANY CHARGES FOR ELECTRIC SERVICE
TO SUCH RESIDENTIAL UNITS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DISTRIBUTION
SERVICE, UNLESS SUCH PARTY HAS A WRITTEN CONTRACT WITH SUCH ELECTRIC
CORPORATION IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION. NOTH-
ING IN THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PREVENT ANY PERSON FROM
APPOINTING ANY FAMILY MEMBER, OTHER VOLUNTEER CAREGIVER, OR PERSONAL
BUSINESS MANAGER AS HIS OR HER AGENT FOR PAYING UTILITY BILLS TO ANY
UTILITY CORPORATION.
3. NO ELECTRIC CORPORATION SHALL ENTER INTO ANY CONTRACT WHICH
PROVIDES IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR COLLECTING AND REMITTING TO SUCH ELEC-
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
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