Bill Text: NY A06574 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Increases the number of members in the public service commission from five to seven members.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A06574 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A06574-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6574 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 12, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to membership in the public service commission The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 4 of the public service law, as amended by chapter 2 155 of the laws of 1970, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 4. The public service commission. 1. There shall be in the depart- 4 ment of public service a public service commission, which shall possess 5 the powers and duties hereinafter specified, and also all powers neces- 6 sary or proper to enable it to carry out the purposes of this chapter. 7 The commission shall consist of [five] seven members, to be appointed by 8 the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate. Two 9 members of the commission shall be selected from a not-for-profit organ- 10 ization with a mission of consumer protection and/or social justice or 11 having a background in consumer protection and/or social justice. One 12 member of the seven member commission shall be a resident of a nonat- 13 tainment area. A commissioner shall be designated as chairman of the 14 commission by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of 15 the governor or until his or her term as commissioner expires whichever 16 first occurs. No more than [three] five commissioners may be members of 17 the same political party [unless, pursuant to action taken under subdi-18vision two, the number of commissioners shall exceed five, and in such19event no more than four commissioners may be members of the same poli-20tical party]. 21 2. [Notwithstanding subdivision one, whenever the commission shall22certify to the governor that additional commissioners are needed for the23proper disposition of the business before it, the governor may increase24the membership of the commission to seven members by appointing two25additional commissioners by and with the advice and consent of theEXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10471-01-9A. 6574 2 1senate. The terms of office of such additional commissioners and the2filling of vacancies during such terms shall be governed by subdivision3three, except that upon the expiration of the terms of such additional4commissioners, no further appointments or reappointments shall be made5to such additional offices, unless the commission shall first certify to6the governor that the need for additional commissioners continues to7exist.83.] The term of office of a commissioner shall be six years from the 9 first day of February of the calendar year in which he or she shall be 10 appointed and commissioners shall serve on a full-time basis. Upon a 11 vacancy [occuring] occurring otherwise than by expiration of term in the 12 office of any commissioner, the governor, by and with the advice and 13 consent of the senate, shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the 14 unexpired term. 15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.