Bill Text: NY A10644 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Prohibits authorities for imposing additional charges for delivering payment through non-electronic means.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-06-12 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A10644 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A10644-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         10644
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                     June 12, 2012
                                      ___________
       Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Dinowitz) --
         read  once  and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
         and Commissions
       AN ACT to amend the public authorities law and the public  service  law,
         in relation to methods of payments to public utilities
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 2855 of the public authorities  law,  as  added  by
    2  section  1  of  part KK of chapter 59 of the laws of 2006, is amended to
    3  read as follows:
    4    S 2855. Electronic method of payment; periodic charges.   1.  Notwith-
    5  standing  the  provisions  of  any law to the contrary, if any authority
    6  shall offer any electronic method of payment  for  tolls,  fares,  fees,
    7  rentals,  or other charges, including but not limited to a system called
    8  E-ZPass, such authority shall not impose any periodic administrative  or
    9  other  charge  for  the  privilege  of  using  such electronic method of
   10  payment for such charges. Nothing in this section shall be construed  to
   11  prohibit  any  authority  from  making  any  charge  for  extra services
   12  requested by a holder of such electronic method of payment,  any  charge
   13  for  lost  or  damaged  equipment,  or for defaults, such as charges for
   14  dishonored checks. The authority shall  not  enter  any  agreement  with
   15  bondholders that would require the imposition of administrative or other
   16  periodic charges relating to electronic methods of payment prohibited by
   17  this section.
   18    2. NO AUTHORITY OFFERING ANY ELECTRONIC METHOD OF PAYMENT SHALL IMPOSE
   19  ANY  PERIODIC  ADMINISTRATIVE  OR  OTHER  CHARGE FOR FAILURE TO USE SUCH
   20  METHOD OF PAYMENT OR OTHERWISE IMPOSE ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER
   21  CHARGES FOR DELIVERING PAYMENT THROUGH NON-ELECTRONIC MEANS.    NOTWITH-
   22  STANDING  ANY  PROVISIONS  OF  LAW TO THE CONTRARY, AUTHORITIES SHALL BE
   23  PROHIBITED FROM IMPOSING ANY PERIODIC ADMINISTRATIVE  OR  OTHER  CHARGE,
   24  EXCEPTING  AMOUNTS  DUE  AND  INTEREST ON ACCOUNTS OUTSTANDING WHEN SUCH
   25  INTEREST IS COMPUTED AND APPLIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH  THE  LAWS  OF  THIS
   26  STATE, FOR METHOD OF PAYMENT ON ANY ACCOUNT. NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVISION
   27  SHALL  BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT ANY AUTHORITY FROM MAKING ANY CHARGE FOR
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD15166-05-2
       A. 10644                            2
    1  EXTRA SERVICES REQUESTED BY AN ACCOUNT HOLDER, ANY CHARGE  FOR  LOST  OR
    2  DAMAGED  EQUIPMENT,  OR  FOR  DEFAULTS,  SUCH  AS CHARGES FOR DISHONORED
    3  CHECKS. THE AUTHORITIES SHALL NOT ENTER ANY AGREEMENT  WITH  BONDHOLDERS
    4  THAT  WOULD  REQUIRE  THE IMPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER PERIODIC
    5  CHARGES RELATING TO METHODS OF PAYMENT.
    6    S 2. Section 2 of the public authorities law is amended  by  adding  a
    7  new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
    8    7.  "PUBLIC  UTILITY  AUTHORITIES"  SHALL  MEAN ANY ENTITY ESTABLISHED
    9  PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FIVE OF THIS CHAPTER.
   10    S 3. Title 1 of article 5 of the public authorities law is amended  by
   11  adding a new section 999 to read as follows:
   12    S  999.  GENERAL PROVISIONS.  NO PUBLIC UTILITY AUTHORITY OFFERING ANY
   13  ELECTRONIC METHOD OF PAYMENT SHALL IMPOSE ANY PERIODIC ADMINISTRATIVE OR
   14  OTHER CHARGE FOR FAILURE TO USE SUCH  METHOD  OF  PAYMENT  OR  OTHERWISE
   15  IMPOSE ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER CHARGES FOR DELIVERING PAYMENT
   16  THROUGH  NON-ELECTRONIC  MEANS.    NOTHING  IN  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE
   17  CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT ANY  PUBLIC  UTILITY  AUTHORITY  FROM  MAKING  ANY
   18  CHARGE FOR EXTRA SERVICES REQUESTED BY AN ACCOUNT HOLDER, ANY CHARGE FOR
   19  LOST  OR DAMAGED EQUIPMENT, OR FOR DEFAULTS, SUCH AS CHARGES FOR DISHON-
   20  ORED CHECKS. THE PUBLIC UTILITY AUTHORITIES SHALL NOT ENTER  ANY  AGREE-
   21  MENT  WITH  BONDHOLDERS THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE IMPOSITION OF ADMINISTRA-
   22  TIVE OR OTHER PERIODIC CHARGES RELATING TO METHODS OF PAYMENT.
   23    S 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new  section  6  to
   24  read as follows:
   25    S  6.  BILLING  BY ENTITIES GOVERNED BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION.
   26  NO ENTITY GOVERNED BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OFFERING  ANY  ELEC-
   27  TRONIC  METHOD  OF  PAYMENT  SHALL IMPOSE ANY PERIODIC ADMINISTRATIVE OR
   28  OTHER CHARGE FOR FAILURE TO USE SUCH  METHOD  OF  PAYMENT  OR  OTHERWISE
   29  IMPOSE ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER CHARGES FOR DELIVERING PAYMENT
   30  THROUGH  NON-ELECTRONIC  MEANS.    NOTHING  IN  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE
   31  CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT ANY ENTITY GOVERNED BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE  COMMIS-
   32  SION  FROM  MAKING ANY CHARGE FOR EXTRA SERVICES REQUESTED BY AN ACCOUNT
   33  HOLDER, ANY CHARGE FOR LOST OR DAMAGED EQUIPMENT, OR FOR DEFAULTS,  SUCH
   34  AS  CHARGES  FOR  DISHONORED  CHECKS.  ENTITIES  GOVERNED  BY THE PUBLIC
   35  SERVICE COMMISSION SHALL NOT ENTER ANY AGREEMENT WITH  BONDHOLDERS  THAT
   36  WOULD REQUIRE THE IMPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER PERIODIC CHARGES
   37  RELATING TO METHODS OF PAYMENT.
   38    S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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