Bill Text: NY S00137 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Increases the number of members in the public service commission from five to seven; provides requirements for certain members of the commission.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S00137 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S00137-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 137 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 6, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sens. MAYER, BROOKS, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, HARCKHAM, HOYLMAN, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications 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. At least 9 two members of the commission shall have significant backgrounds in 10 utility consumer advocacy. Members of the commission shall be chosen to 11 be representative of the racial, ethnic and geographic diversity of the 12 state. A commissioner shall be designated as chairman of the commission 13 by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the gover- 14 nor or until his or her term as commissioner expires whichever first 15 occurs. No more than [three] five commissioners may be members of the 16 same political party [unless, pursuant to action taken under subdivision17two, the number of commissioners shall exceed five, and in such event no18more than four commissioners may be members of the same political19party]. 20 2. [Notwithstanding subdivision one, whenever the commission shall21certify to the governor that additional commissioners are needed for the22proper disposition of the business before it, the governor may increase23the membership of the commission to seven members by appointing twoEXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02684-01-1S. 137 2 1additional commissioners by and with the advice and consent of the2senate. The terms of office of such additional commissioners and the3filling of vacancies during such terms shall be governed by subdivision4three, except that upon the expiration of the terms of such additional5commissioners, no further appointments or reappointments shall be made6to such additional offices, unless the commission shall first certify to7the governor that the need for additional commissioners continues to8exist.93.] The term of office of a commissioner shall be six years from the 10 first day of February of the calendar year in which he or she shall be 11 appointed and commissioners shall serve on a full-time basis. Upon a 12 vacancy [occuring] occurring otherwise than by expiration of term in the 13 office of any commissioner, the governor, by and with the advice and 14 consent of the senate, shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the 15 unexpired term. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.