Senate Bill S4234A

Signed By Governor
2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to the finality of certain utility charges and the contents of utility bills

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - Signed by Governor


  • 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

Do you support this bill?

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.
Actions
Votes

Bill Amendments

2023-S4234 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A4055
Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§41 & 44, add §41-a, Pub Serv L

2023-S4234 - Summary

Prohibits utility corporations from charging customers for gas or electric service which was rendered more than two months prior to the mailing of the first bill to the customer; requires utility corporations to provide a two-year history of charges in their bills.

2023-S4234 - Sponsor Memo

2023-S4234 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4234
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 6, 2023
                                ___________
 
 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 the finality of
   certain utility charges and the contents of utility bills

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 41 of the public service law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
   4.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, NO UTILITY CORPORATION
 OR MUNICIPALITY MAY CHARGE A RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER FOR  GAS  OR  ELECTRIC
 SERVICE  WHICH WAS RENDERED MORE THAN TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE MAILING OF
 THE FIRST BILL TO THE CUSTOMER FOR SUCH SERVICE UNLESS  THE  FAILURE  OF
 THE CORPORATION OR MUNICIPALITY TO BILL SOONER WAS NOT DUE TO THE NEGLI-
 GENCE  OR  NEGLECT  OF THE CORPORATION OR MUNICIPALITY OR WAS DUE TO THE
 CULPABLE CONDUCT OF THE CUSTOMER.
   § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 41-a to
 read as follows:
   § 41-A. FINALITY OF CHARGES; NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.  NOTWITHSTAND-
 ING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, NO UTILITY CORPORATION  OR  MUNICIPALITY
 MAY  CHARGE A NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER FOR GAS OR ELECTRIC SERVICE WHICH
 WAS RENDERED MORE THAN TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE MAILING OF THE FIRST BILL
 TO THE CUSTOMER FOR SUCH SERVICE UNLESS THE FAILURE OF  THE  CORPORATION
 OR  MUNICIPALITY TO BILL SOONER WAS NOT DUE TO THE NEGLIGENCE OR NEGLECT
 OF THE CORPORATION OR MUNICIPALITY OR WAS DUE TO THE CULPABLE CONDUCT OF
 THE CUSTOMER.
   § 3. Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding  a  new
 subdivision 7 to read as follows:
   7.  AS  PART OF EVERY BILLING, THE UTILITY CORPORATION OR MUNICIPALITY
 SHALL PROVIDE BOTH IN GRAPH AND WRITTEN FORM, FOR THE PRIOR TWO YEARS OF
 THE CUSTOMER OR THE PRIOR CUSTOMERS AT THE  SAME  ADDRESS,  THE  MONTHLY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04105-02-3
              

co-Sponsors

2023-S4234A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A4055
Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§41 & 44, add §41-a, Pub Serv L

2023-S4234A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits utility corporations from charging customers for gas or electric service which was rendered more than two months prior to the mailing of the first bill to the customer; requires utility corporations to provide a two-year history of charges in their bills.

2023-S4234A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S4234A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4234--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 6, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to the  finality  of
   certain utility charges and the contents of utility bills
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 41 of the public service  law,  as
 added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no utility corporation
 or municipality [may] SHALL charge a residential  customer  for  gas  or
 electric  service which was rendered more than [six] TWO months prior to
 the mailing of the first bill to the customer for  such  service  unless
 the  failure  of  the corporation or municipality to bill sooner was not
 due to the neglect of the corporation or municipality or was due to  the
 culpable  conduct  of  the  customer. If the customer remains liable for
 such service, the utility shall permit payments  to  be  made  under  an
 installment payment plan, provided, however, that the utility or munici-
 pality  may  require prompt payment if the non-billing resulted from the
 culpable conduct of the customer. Any such installment payment plan  may
 provide  for a downpayment of up to one-half of the amounts due from the
 customer, or three months average billing, whichever is less.
   § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 41-a to
 read as follows:
   § 41-A. FINALITY OF CHARGES; NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.  NOTWITHSTAND-
 ING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, NO UTILITY CORPORATION  OR  MUNICIPALITY
 SHALL  CHARGE  A  NON-RESIDENTIAL  CUSTOMER  FOR GAS OR ELECTRIC SERVICE
 WHICH WAS RENDERED MORE THAN TWO MONTHS PRIOR  TO  THE  MAILING  OF  THE
 FIRST  BILL  TO  THE CUSTOMER FOR SUCH SERVICE UNLESS THE FAILURE OF THE
 CORPORATION OR MUNICIPALITY TO BILL SOONER WAS NOT DUE TO THE NEGLIGENCE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04105-05-3
              

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.