NY State Senate Bill S9469

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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Actions

view actions (6)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 02, 2022	referred to corporations, authorities and commissions ordered to third reading cal.1919 committee discharged and committed to rules
Jun 03, 2022	delivered to assembly passed senate
May 31, 2022	referred to energy and telecommunications

Votes

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10511
Current Committee:: Assembly Corporations, Authorities And Commissions
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §39, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S1851, A888

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Permits the rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation or municipality under certain circumstances; requires each utility corporation and municipality within six months to submit to the commission a model procedure for the calculation of estimated bills that incorporates best practices and technology and accounts for any barriers to the use of actual meter readings.

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S9469

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to permitting the
rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation or munici-
pality under certain circumstances

 
PURPOSE:

To protect ratepayers from excessive fluctuations by requiring actual
meter readings in most instances in utility bills from month-to-month
and requiring the Public Service Commission (PSC) to institute a best
practices estimation formula that can be used as a utility industry
standard in New York State for statutorily accepted instances of bill
estimation

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: A new subdivision is added to require actual meter readings
for billing purposes with the exception of statutorily accepted

instances of bill estimation, AND; the PSC shall require each utility
corporation and municipality within six months to submit to the commis-
sion a model procedure for the calculation of estimated bills that
incorporates best practices and technology and accounts for any bathers
to the use of actual meter readings. On or before November first, two
thousand twenty-three, the commission shall promulgate rules and regu-
lations to incorporate and adopt such model procedures for utility
corporations and municipalities.

Section 2: Effective Date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

As home heating and cooling costs continue to increase, and while many
are still facing the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandem-
ic, it is imperative that we give ratepayers as much stability as possi-
ble in their month-over-month utility bills. There are widespread
reports that utility companies are relying heavily on estimated billing
practices causing excessively high swings in bills month to month, often
to the difference of hundreds of dollars in additional unforeseen, and
regularly inaccurate, costs. The fact is, many ratepayers can't afford
such high estimations, especially when they're not based on previous
usage data and when utility prices are already rising. For many house-
holds, these bills far exceed their monthly budgets, causing people to
choose between paying their utility bills and other important expenses,
with the underlying issue that these ratepayers don't even end up owing
these significantly higher bills.

This legislation seeks to protect ratepayers from excessive fluctuations
by requiring utility bills to reflect actual month-over-month meter
readings, and requires the Public Service Commission (PSC) to institute
a best practices estimation formula that can be used as a utility indus-
try standard in New York State for statutorily accepted instances of
bill estimation.

This is an opportunity to create long-term employment opportunities that
would be required to collect accurate monthly energy usage now, with an
eye towards retraining this workforce for future jobs in the energy
delivery sector, as needed. This is a win for ratepayers and an invest-
ment in our local economies by creating more reliable, good-paying jobs.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

None to state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9469
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 31, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HINCHEY -- 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 permitting the
   rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation  or  munici-
   pality under certain circumstances

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 39 of the public service  law,  as
 amended  by chapter 686 of the laws of 2002, is amended and a new subdi-
 vision 1-a is added to read as follows:
   1. A utility corporation or municipality may, in accordance with  such
 requirements as the commission may impose by regulation, render an esti-
 mated  bill  for  any  billing period if: (a) the procedure used by such
 utility  or  municipality  for  calculating  estimated  bills  has  been
 approved  by  the  commission, and the bill clearly indicates that it is
 based on an estimated reading and (b) the utility owning the  meter  and
 providing  the  meter  reading  data on which the estimated bill will be
 based or the municipality has made reasonable effort to obtain an actual
 meter reading or (c) circumstances beyond the control of the utility  or
 municipality  made an actual reading of the meter extremely difficult or
 (d) circumstances indicate a reported reading is likely to be erroneous,
 or (e) an estimated reading is prescribed or authorized by  the  commis-
 sion for a billing period between periods when actual meter readings are
 scheduled  or  for  seasonal  or  short term customers.   OUTSIDE OF THE
 AFOREMENTIONED CRITERIA FOR ESTIMATED BILLING PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION,
 ALL  OTHER  BILLS SHALL USE ACTUAL METER READINGS, HOWEVER SUCH READINGS
 MAY BE OBTAINED.
   1-A. THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE EACH UTILITY CORPORATION AND MUNICI-
 PALITY WITHIN SIX MONTHS TO SUBMIT TO THE COMMISSION A  MODEL  PROCEDURE
 FOR  THE CALCULATION OF ESTIMATED BILLS THAT INCORPORATES BEST PRACTICES
 AND TECHNOLOGY AND ACCOUNTS FOR ANY BARRIERS TO THE USE OF ACTUAL  METER
 READINGS.  ON  OR  BEFORE NOVEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE, THE
 COMMISSION SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND  REGULATIONS  TO  INCORPORATE  AND
 ADOPT SUCH MODEL PROCEDURES FOR UTILITY CORPORATIONS AND MUNICIPALITIES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD16028-01-2

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S9469

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

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Votes

Jun 3, 2022 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jun 3, 2022

Jun 2, 2022 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jun 2, 2022

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Details

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S9469

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Sponsored By

Michelle Hinchey

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

Your Voice

Actions

Votes

Jun 3, 2022 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jun 3, 2022

Jun 2, 2022 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jun 2, 2022

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Details

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S9469 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments