Bill Text: NY A00538 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Requires electric companies to provide alternative measures to ensure customers with documented need for essential electricity for medical needs have access to electricity during power outages; requires electric companies to provide generators or lodging for such individuals and transportation for medical devices.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - print number 538a [A00538 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A00538-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Requires electric companies to provide alternative measures to ensure customers with documented need for essential electricity for medical needs have access to electricity during power outages; requires electric companies to provide generators or lodging for such individuals and transportation for medical devices.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - print number 538a [A00538 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A00538-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 538 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH, DICKENS, SEAWRIGHT, DeSTEFANO, THIELE, SANTABARBARA, TAGUE, DURSO, LEMONDES -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law and the public authorities law, in relation to requiring electric companies to provide alternative measures to ensure customers are able to maintain their health and well-being during power outages The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of 2 section 66 of the public service law, as separately amended by chapters 3 395 and 727 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 4 (iii) identification of and outreach plans to customers who had docu- 5 mented their need for essential electricity for medical needs, which 6 shall include but not be limited to, apnea monitors for infants, cuirass 7 respirators, hemodialysis machines, IV feeding machines, IV medical 8 infusion machines, oxygen concentrators, positive pressure respirators, 9 respirator/ventilators, rocking bed respirators, suction machines, tank 10 type respirators, as well as any medical equipment or equipment neces- 11 sary for an individual whose diagnosis is likely to be significantly 12 triggered or significantly exacerbated by a continued loss of power that 13 will adversely impact that individual's health. Such outreach plans 14 shall include provisions regarding how such customers will be provided 15 with alternative measures to ensure their health and well-being if power 16 cannot adequately be provided. Such provisions shall include providing 17 electric generators or lodging for the individual requiring such essen- 18 tial electricity for medical needs and shall also include transportation 19 of medical devices, as needed. Such provisions shall also specify that 20 any cost incurred by an electric company in providing such alternative 21 measures shall not be borne by rate payers; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01666-03-3A. 538 2 1 § 2. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of section 2 66 of the public service law, as separately amended by chapters 395, 727 3 and 743 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 4 (iii) identification of and outreach plans to customers who had docu- 5 mented their need for essential electricity for medical needs, which 6 shall include but not be limited to, apnea monitors for infants, cuirass 7 respirators, hemodialysis machines, IV feeding machines, IV medical 8 infusion machines, oxygen concentrators, positive pressure respirators, 9 respirator/ventilators, rocking bed respirators, suction machines, tank 10 type respirators, as well as any medical equipment or equipment neces- 11 sary for an individual whose diagnosis is likely to be significantly 12 triggered or significantly exacerbated by a continued loss of power that 13 will adversely impact that individual's health. Such outreach plans 14 shall include provisions regarding how such customers will be provided 15 with alternative measures to ensure their health and well-being if power 16 cannot adequately be provided. Such provisions shall include providing 17 electric generators or lodging for the individual requiring such essen- 18 tial electricity for medical needs and shall also include transportation 19 of medical devices, as needed. Such provisions shall also specify that 20 any cost incurred by an electric company in providing such alternative 21 measures shall not be borne by rate payers; 22 § 3. Paragraph 1 of subdivision (cc) of section 1020-f of the public 23 authorities law, as separately amended by chapters 395 and 727 of the 24 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 25 1. The service provider shall, in consultation with the authority, 26 prepare and maintain an emergency response plan (i) to assure the 27 reasonably prompt restoration of service in the case of an emergency 28 event, defined for purposes of this subdivision as an event where wide- 29 spread outages have occurred in the authority's service territory due to 30 a storm or other causes beyond the control of the authority and the 31 service provider, (ii) consistent with the requirements of paragraph (a) 32 of subdivision twenty-one of section sixty-six of the public service law 33 and any regulations and orders adopted thereto, and (iii) establishing 34 the separate responsibilities of the authority and service provider. 35 Such emergency response plan shall include plans setting forth how the 36 communication and coordination of efforts between the authority, service 37 provider, authority employees, service provider employees, authority 38 company crews, service provider company crews, mutual aid crews, other 39 utilities, local governments and any service provider or other entity 40 performing services to assist the authority shall occur. Such emergency 41 response plan shall include identification of and outreach plans for 42 customers who have documented their need for essential electricity for 43 medical needs, which shall include but not be limited to, apnea monitors 44 for infants, cuirass respirators, hemodialysis machines, intravenous 45 feeding machines, intravenous medical infusion machines, oxygen concen- 46 trators, positive pressure respirators, respirators/ventilators, rocking 47 bed respirators, suction machines, tank type respirators, as well as any 48 medical equipment or equipment necessary for an individual whose diagno- 49 sis is likely to be significantly triggered or significantly exacerbated 50 by a continued loss of power that will adversely impact that individ- 51 ual's health. Such outreach plans shall also include provisions regard- 52 ing how customers will be provided with alternative measures to ensure 53 their health and well-being if power cannot adequately be provided. Such 54 provisions shall include providing electric generators or lodging for 55 any individual requiring essential electricity for medical needs and 56 shall also include transportation of medical devices, as needed.A. 538 3 1 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 2 section two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the 3 same manner as section 6 of chapter 743 of the laws of 2022, takes 4 effect.
