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Senate Bill S8908

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to civil penalties imposed by the public service commission upon certain utility corporations

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Current Bill Status - Passed Senate

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2025-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A10422
Law Section:
Public Service Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§24 & 25-a, Pub Serv L

2025-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that any sanction or civil penalty imposed by the public service commission be returned to the rate payers by means of a direct bill credit, as soon as practically feasible or no later than ninety days.

2025-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8908 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8908
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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 certain sanctions
   and civil penalties
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Section 24 of the public service law, as amended by chapter
 665 of the laws of 1980, is amended to read as follows:
   § 24. Action to recover  penalties  or  forfeitures.    An  action  to
 recover  a  penalty or a forfeiture under this chapter or to enforce the
 powers of the commission may be brought in any court of competent juris-
 diction in this state in the name of the people  of  the  state  of  New
 York,  and  shall  be  commenced and prosecuted to final judgment by the
 commission. In any such action all penalties and forfeitures incurred up
 to the time of commencing the same may be sued for and recovered  there-
 in, and the commencement of an action to recover a penalty or forfeiture
 shall  not  be,  or  be held to be, a waiver of the right to recover any
 other penalty or forfeiture; if the defendant in such action shall prove
 that during any portion of the time for which it is  sought  to  recover
 penalties  or  forfeitures  for a violation of an order or regulation of
 the commission the defendant was actually and in good faith  prosecuting
 a  suit,  action  or proceeding in the courts to set aside such order or
 regulation, the court shall remit the penalties or forfeitures  incurred
 during  the  pendency  of  such  suit,  action or proceeding. All moneys
 recovered in any such action, together with the costs thereof, shall  be
 [paid  into  the  state  treasury  to  the  credit  of the general fund]
 RETURNED TO THE RATEPAYERS BY MEANS OF A DIRECT BILL CREDIT, AS SOON  AS
 PRACTICALLY  FEASIBLE  OR NO LATER THAN NINETY DAYS. Any such action may
 be compromised or discontinued on application  of  the  commission  upon
 such  terms as the court shall approve and order. An action may be main-
 tained by the commission for the whole or any part of the  penalties  or
 forfeitures prescribed in this chapter, and judgment may be rendered for
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14011-02-6

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