Bill Text: NY A01324 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes a public utility corporation community support program to allow and encourage contributions by corporations to charitable organizations for the benefit of communities serviced by the corporations; directs the public service commission to formulate and promulgate regulations providing for the establishment and operation of the community support program; contains certain required elements of the regulations, including the goal of encouraging contributions equal to at least one percent of the corporation's revenue.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A01324 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A01324-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1324
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                    January 9, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
       AN  ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to establishment of
         a public utility corporation community support program
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. Section 5 of the public service law is amended by adding a
    2  new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
    3    7. THERE IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED A PUBLIC UTILITY  CORPORATION  COMMUNITY
    4  SUPPORT   PROGRAM   (HEREINAFTER   REFERRED  TO  AS  "COMMUNITY  SUPPORT
    5  PROGRAM"), THE PURPOSE OF WHICH IS TO ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE  CONTRIBUTIONS
    6  BY  PUBLIC UTILITY CORPORATIONS SUBJECT TO REGULATION BY THE COMMISSION,
    7  TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF  COMMUNITIES  SERVED  BY
    8  THE  PUBLIC  UTILITY  CORPORATIONS.  THE  COMMISSION SHALL FORMULATE AND
    9  PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROVIDING  FOR  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  AND
   10  OPERATION  OF  THE  COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM, AND SHALL TAKE ACTION AND
   11  INSTITUTE ALL PROCEDURES NECESSARY OR PROPER FOR THE  ESTABLISHMENT  AND
   12  OPERATION  OF  THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM. SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS
   13  SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, PROVISIONS WHICH:
   14    A. SET FORTH THE MANNER IN WHICH A PUBLIC UTILITY CORPORATION SHALL BE
   15  ENCOURAGED TO CONTRIBUTE A MINIMUM OF ONE PERCENT  OF  ITS  REVENUES  TO
   16  CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS SERVING COMMUNITIES SERVED BY THE PUBLIC UTILI-
   17  TY CORPORATION;
   18    B.  DEFINE  THE  TERMS  "CHARITABLE  ORGANIZATION"  AND  "REVENUE" FOR
   19  PURPOSES OF THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM;
   20    C. REQUIRE THAT THE CONSENT AND APPROVAL OF THE  COMMISSION  BE  FIRST
   21  HAD AND OBTAINED PRIOR TO THE MAKING OF ANY CONTRIBUTION TO A CHARITABLE
   22  ORGANIZATION PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION;
   23    D.  SHALL  PROHIBIT  THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF A PUBLIC UTILITY CORPORATION
   24  MADE PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION  FROM  BEING  CONSIDERED  OR  ALLOWED  FOR
   25  RATE-MAKING PURPOSES; AND
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD01791-01-5
       A. 1324                             2
    1    E.  PROVIDE FOR NOTICE TO BE GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC BY THE PUBLIC UTILITY
    2  CORPORATION REGARDING ITS CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN A MANNER LIKELY TO
    3  BE SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
    4    S 2. If any item, clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or
    5  other  part  of  this  act,  or the application thereof to any person or
    6  circumstances shall be held  to  be  invalid,  such  holding  shall  not
    7  affect,  impair or invalidate the remainder of this act, or the applica-
    8  tion of such section or part of a section held  invalid,  to  any  other
    9  person  or  circumstances, but shall be confined in its operation to the
   10  item, clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or other part of
   11  this act directly involved in such holding, or to the person and circum-
   12  stances therein involved.
   13    S 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2016. Effective immediately
   14  the public service commission is authorized to promulgate  any  and  all
   15  rules and regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement
   16  this act on its effective date on or before such date.