STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1199

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 8, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and  when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Tele-
          communications

        AN ACT to amend the public service law,  in  relation  to  requiring  at
          least  one commissioner of the public service commission to have expe-
          rience in utility consumer advocacy

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

     1    Section  1.  Subdivision  1 of section 4 of the public service law, as
     2  amended by chapter 155 of the laws  of  1970,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    1. There shall be in the department of public service a public service
     5  commission, which shall possess the powers and duties hereinafter speci-
     6  fied,  and also all powers necessary or proper to enable it to carry out
     7  the purposes of this chapter.  The  commission  shall  consist  of  five
     8  members,  to  be  appointed  by the governor, by and with the advice and
     9  consent of the senate. A commissioner shall be designated as chairman of
    10  the commission by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure
    11  of the governor or until his  term  as  commissioner  expires  whichever
    12  first occurs. At least one commissioner shall have experience in utility
    13  consumer  advocacy.  No  more than three commissioners may be members of
    14  the same political party unless, pursuant to action taken under subdivi-
    15  sion two of this section, the number of commissioners shall exceed five,
    16  and in such event no more than four commissioners may be members of  the
    17  same political party.
    18    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    19  have become a law and shall apply to appointments made on or after  such
    20  date.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03151-01-1