Bill Text: NY A02469 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Increases civil penalties on certain combination gas and electric corporations that fail to comply with the public service law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A02469 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A02469-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2469

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 19, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. DINOWITZ, SIMON, STERN, TAYLOR, DICKENS, THIELE,
          BARRON, WEPRIN, ENGLEBRIGHT, LAVINE, SEAWRIGHT, JACOBSON, GALEF,  OTIS
          --  read  once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authori-
          ties and Commissions

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to  civil  penalties
          on  certain  public utility companies, corporations or persons and the
          officers, agents and employees thereof

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2, paragraph (a) of subdivision 3 and paragraph
     2  (a) of subdivision 4 of section 25 the public service law, as amended by
     3  chapter 375 of the laws of 1986, are amended to read as follows:
     4    2. Any public utility company, corporation or person and the officers,
     5  agents and employees thereof that knowingly fails or neglects to obey or
     6  comply  with  a  provision  of  this  chapter  or an order adopted under
     7  authority of this chapter so long as the same shall be in  force,  shall
     8  forfeit  to the people of the state of New York a sum not exceeding [one
     9  hundred thousand] two million dollars constituting a civil  penalty  for
    10  each  and every offense and, in the case of a continuing violation, each
    11  day shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense.
    12    (a) [two hundred and fifty thousand] five million dollars constituting
    13  a civil penalty for each separate and distinct offense; provided, howev-
    14  er, that for purposes  of  this  paragraph  each  day  of  a  continuing
    15  violation shall not be deemed a separate and distinct offense. The total
    16  period  of  a continuing violation, as well as every distinct violation,
    17  shall be similarly treated  as  a  separate  and  distinct  offense  for
    18  purposes of this paragraph; or
    19    (a)  [five  hundred thousand] ten million dollars constituting a civil
    20  penalty for each separate and distinct offense; provided, however,  that
    21  for  purposes of this paragraph each day of a continuing violation shall
    22  not be deemed a separate and distinct offense. The  total  period  of  a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05772-01-1

        A. 2469                             2

     1  continuing  violation,  as  well  as  every distinct violation, shall be
     2  similarly treated as a separate and distinct  offense  for  purposes  of
     3  this paragraph; or
     4    § 2. Subdivision 3, subparagraph (i) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 4
     5  and paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 25-a of the public service
     6  law,  as added by section 2 of part X of chapter 57 of the laws of 2013,
     7  are amended to read as follows:
     8    3. Any combination gas and  electric  corporation  determined  by  the
     9  commission  to have failed to reasonably comply as shown by a preponder-
    10  ance of the evidence with a provision of this chapter, regulation or  an
    11  order  adopted under authority of this chapter so long as the same shall
    12  be in force shall forfeit a  sum  not  exceeding  the  greater  of  [one
    13  hundred  thousand]  two  million  dollars  or  two one-hundredths of one
    14  percent of the annual intrastate gross operating revenue of  the  corpo-
    15  ration,  not including taxes paid to and revenues collected on behalf of
    16  government entities, constituting a civil penalty  for  each  and  every
    17  offense  and,  in  the case of a continuing violation, each day shall be
    18  deemed a separate and distinct offense.
    19    (i) [two hundred fifty thousand] five million dollars  or  three  one-
    20  hundredths  of  one  percent  of  the  annual intrastate gross operating
    21  revenue of the corporation, not including taxes  paid  to  and  revenues
    22  collected  on  behalf  of  government  entities,  whichever  is greater,
    23  constituting a civil penalty for each  separate  and  distinct  offense;
    24  provided,  however,  that  for purposes of this paragraph, each day of a
    25  continuing violation  shall  not  be  deemed  a  separate  and  distinct
    26  offense.  The  total  period of a continuing violation, as well as every
    27  distinct violation,  shall  be  similarly  treated  as  a  separate  and
    28  distinct offense for purposes of this paragraph; or
    29    (a) [five hundred thousand] ten million dollars or four one-hundredths
    30  of  one  percent of the annual intrastate gross operating revenue of the
    31  corporation, not including taxes  paid  to  and  revenues  collected  on
    32  behalf  of  government  entities,  whichever  is greater, constituting a
    33  civil penalty for each separate and distinct offense; provided, however,
    34  that for purposes of this paragraph each day of a  continuing  violation
    35  shall not be deemed a separate and distinct offense. The total period of
    36  a  continuing  violation,  as  well as every distinct violation shall be
    37  similarly treated as a separate and distinct  offense  for  purposes  of
    38  this paragraph; or
    39    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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