Senate Bill S8535

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8535
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 20, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- 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 the establishment
   of reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas  service  to
   furloughed or non-pay federal workers; and providing for the repeal of
   such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   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
 66-x to read as follows:
   § 66-X. REDUCED RESIDENTIAL RATES FOR ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE
 TO  FURLOUGHED  OR  NON-PAY  FEDERAL  CUSTOMERS. 1. THE COMMISSION SHALL
 REQUIRE ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS CORPORATIONS TO ESTABLISH  PROGRAMS  OF
 RATE  REDUCTION AND OTHER ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC AND NATURAL
 GAS CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE BEEN  EITHER  FURLOUGHED  OR  DESIGNATED  NON-PAY
 FEDERAL  EMPLOYEES DUE TO A PERIOD OF A LAPSE IN DISCRETIONARY APPROPRI-
 ATIONS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE REVENUE IMPACT OF WHICH SHALL  NOT
 BE  BORNE  SOLELY  BY ANY SINGLE CLASS OF CUSTOMER. THE COMMISSION SHALL
 ENSURE APPROPRIATE LEVELS  OF  RATE  REDUCTION  FOR  SUCH  ELECTRIC  AND
 NATURAL  GAS CUSTOMERS TO MITIGATE HARDSHIP.  IN ESTABLISHING THE APPRO-
 PRIATE PERCENTAGE REDUCTION THE COMMISSION SHALL ENSURE  TO  THE  EXTENT
 FEASIBLE  THAT RATEPAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN FURLOUGHED OR DESIGNATED NON-PAY
 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ARE NOT JEOPARDIZED OR OVERBURDENED BY RATES FOR ELEC-
 TRIC AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE.
   2. THE COMMISSION SHALL  ESTABLISH  CUSTOMER  INCOME  AND  CATEGORICAL
 ELIGIBILITY  STANDARDS  FOR  REDUCED RATES, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE, WITHOUT
 LIMITATION, CUSTOMERS PROVIDING DOCUMENTATION  DEMONSTRATING  THAT  THEY
 HAVE  BEEN FURLOUGHED OR DESIGNATED NON-PAY AS A RESULT OF A PERIOD OF A
 LAPSE IN DISCRETIONARY APPROPRIATIONS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
   3. THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE PROVIDERS OF ELECTRIC AND NATURAL  GAS
 SERVICE  TO  PROVIDE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORMS FOR REDUCED RATES
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13929-01-5
              

 S. 8535                             2
 
 TO ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS ON THEIR WEBSITES, AT THEIR OFFICES, AND BY  OTHER
 MEANS,  AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY AND ELIGI-
 BILITY STANDARDS FOR REDUCED RATES TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AT THE  TIME
 OF SERVICE INITIATION, IN BILL INSERTS, IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS
 IN ARREARS, AND BY OTHER MEANS REQUIRED OR APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION.
   4.  THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS CORPORATIONS
 TO ESTABLISH REDUCED RATES PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION TO BE  EFFECTIVE  NO
 LATER  THAN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, AND TO
 FILE PERIODIC REPORTS REGARDING THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS RECEIV-
 ING REDUCED RATES, UTILITY EFFORTS TO PROVIDE REDUCED RESIDENTIAL  RATES
 TO  ALL CUSTOMERS ELIGIBLE FOR THEM, AND OTHER INFORMATION DEEMED NECES-
 SARY OR APPROPRIATE BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE  EFFICIENT  ADMINISTRATION
 OF THE REDUCED RATES.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law.