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Senate Bill S2258A

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring emergency notices be provided to customers in certain languages

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Current Bill Status - Passed Senate

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Bill Amendments

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2025-S2258 - Details

Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §44, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S9013
2021-2022: S3261
2023-2024: S1260

2025-S2258 - Summary

Requires every utility corporation or municipality who sends an emergency notice to customers to make available and provide such notice in English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, French, Urdu, Russian, Yiddish, Korean, Bangla, Polish, Italian, Hindi and Tagalog.

2025-S2258 - Sponsor Memo

2025-S2258 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2258
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. COMRIE, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and  Tele-
   communications
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring emer-
   gency notices be provided to consumers in certain languages

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  section  heading of section 44 of the public service
 law, as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read  as
 follows:
   Utility bills[;] AND informational notices.
   §  2.  Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 8 to read as follows:
   8. THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE EVERY UTILITY CORPORATION  OR  MUNICI-
 PALITY  WHO SENDS AN EMERGENCY NOTICE TO ITS CONSUMERS TO MAKE AVAILABLE
 AND PROVIDE SUCH EMERGENCY NOTICE IN ENGLISH AND  ANY  OTHER  PREVAILING
 LANGUAGE  AS THE COMMISSION DEEMS NECESSARY WHICH SHALL INCLUDE SPANISH,
 HAITIAN-CREOLE, MANDARIN, CANTONESE, ARABIC,  FRENCH,  URDU,  HINDI  AND
 TAGALOG.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04959-01-5

co-Sponsors

2025-S2258A (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §44, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S9013
2021-2022: S3261
2023-2024: S1260

2025-S2258A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires every utility corporation or municipality who sends an emergency notice to customers to make available and provide such notice in English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, French, Urdu, Russian, Yiddish, Korean, Bangla, Polish, Italian, Hindi and Tagalog.

2025-S2258A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S2258A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  2258--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. COMRIE, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and  Tele-
   communications  -- recommitted to the Committee on Energy and Telecom-
   munications in accordance with Senate Rule  6,  sec.  8  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring emer-
   gency notices be provided to customers in certain languages
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  section  heading of section 44 of the public service
 law, as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read  as
 follows:
   Utility bills[;] AND informational notices.
   §  2.  Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 8 to read as follows:
   8. (A) THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE EVERY UTILITY CORPORATION OR MUNI-
 CIPALITY WHO SENDS AN EMERGENCY NOTICE TO ITS CUSTOMERS TO  MAKE  AVAIL-
 ABLE AND PROVIDE SUCH EMERGENCY NOTICE IN ENGLISH AND ANY OTHER PREVAIL-
 ING  LANGUAGE AS THE COMMISSION DEEMS NECESSARY WHICH SHALL INCLUDE, BUT
 NOT BE LIMITED TO, SPANISH, HAITIAN-CREOLE, MANDARIN, CANTONESE, ARABIC,
 FRENCH, URDU, RUSSIAN, YIDDISH, KOREAN, BANGLA, POLISH,  ITALIAN,  HINDI
 AND TAGALOG.
   (B) THESE EMERGENCY NOTICES SHALL BE AVAILABLE AND PROVIDED IN A PAPER
 FORMAT OR TRANSMITTED ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH CALL, TEXT, AND/OR EMAIL.
   (C)  FOR  THE  PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, "EMERGENCY NOTICES" SHALL
 INCLUDE TERMINATION NOTICES, OUTAGE NOTICES, AND ANY WORK  NOTICES  THAT
 WOULD IMPACT SERVICES.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04959-02-6

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