Bill Text: NY A00888 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Permits the rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation or municipality under certain circumstances; requires each utility corporation and municipality within six months to submit to the commission a model procedure for the calculation of estimated bills that incorporates best practices and technology and accounts for any barriers to the use of actual meter readings.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-06-07 - substituted by s1851a [A00888 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A00888-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         888--C
                                                                 Cal. No. 30

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 11, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. JACOBSON, SHRESTHA, SANTABARBARA, EACHUS, SHIMSKY
          --  read  once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authori-
          ties and Commissions -- committee discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted  to  said  committee -- again
          reported from said committee with  amendments,  ordered  reprinted  as
          amended  and recommitted to said committee -- ordered to a third read-
          ing, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on  the  order
          of third reading

        AN  ACT  to  amend the public service law, in relation to permitting the
          rendering of an estimated bill from a utility corporation  or  munici-
          pality under certain circumstances

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 39 of the public service  law,  as
     2  amended  by chapter 686 of the laws of 2002, is amended and a new subdi-
     3  vision 1-a is added to read as follows:
     4    1. A utility corporation or municipality may, in accordance with  such
     5  requirements as the commission may impose by regulation, render an esti-
     6  mated  bill  for  any  billing period if: (a) the procedure used by such
     7  utility  or  municipality  for  calculating  estimated  bills  has  been
     8  approved  by  the  commission, and the bill clearly indicates that it is
     9  based on an estimated reading and (b) the utility owning the  meter  and
    10  providing  the  meter  reading  data on which the estimated bill will be
    11  based or the municipality has made reasonable effort to obtain an actual
    12  meter reading or (c) circumstances beyond the control of the utility  or
    13  municipality  made an actual reading of the meter extremely difficult or
    14  (d) circumstances indicate a reported reading is likely to be erroneous,
    15  or (e) an estimated reading is prescribed or authorized by  the  commis-
    16  sion for a billing period between periods when actual meter readings are
    17  scheduled  or  for  seasonal  or  short term customers.   Outside of the
    18  aforementioned criteria for estimated billing pursuant to this  section,

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02154-07-4
        A. 888--C                           2

     1  all  other  bills shall use actual meter readings, however such readings
     2  may be obtained, provided that such readings  are  taken  in  accordance
     3  with  the  provisions  of  this  section. To the extent practicable, any
     4  additional  costs  required to achieve actual meter readings pursuant to
     5  this subdivision shall not be passed onto the customer.
     6    1-a. The commission shall require each utility corporation and munici-
     7  pality within six months after the effective date of this subdivision to
     8  submit to the commission a model procedure for the calculation of  esti-
     9  mated bills that incorporates best practices and technology and accounts
    10  for  any  barriers  to  the  use  of actual meter readings. On or before
    11  November first, two thousand twenty-five, the commission  shall  promul-
    12  gate  rules  and  regulations to incorporate and adopt such model proce-
    13  dures for utility corporations and municipalities.
    14    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.