Bill Text: NY S04399 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Creates the state office of the utility consumer advocate to represent interests of residential utility customers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2019-12-26 - VETOED MEMO.259 [S04399 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S04399-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4399
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 11, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. SAVINO, ADDABBO, CARLUCCI -- 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 creating the
          state office of the utility consumer advocate
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new article
     2  1-A to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE 1-A
     4              THE STATE OFFICE OF THE UTILITY CONSUMER ADVOCATE
     5  Section 28-a. Definitions.
     6          28-b. Establishment of the state office of the utility  consumer
     7                  advocate.
     8          28-c. Powers  of  the state office of the utility consumer advo-
     9                  cate.
    10          28-d. Reports.
    11    § 28-a. Definitions. When used in  this  article:    (a)  "Department"
    12  means the department of public service.
    13    (b) "Commission" means the public service commission.
    14    (c)  "Residential  utility  customer"  means any person who is sold or
    15  offered for sale residential utility service by a utility company.
    16    (d) "Utility company" means any person or entity operating  an  agency
    17  for  public  service,  including,  but  not limited to, those persons or
    18  entities  subject  to  the  jurisdiction,  supervision  and  regulations
    19  prescribed by or pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
    20    §  28-b.  Establishment  of  the  state office of the utility consumer
    21  advocate. There is established the state office of the utility  consumer
    22  advocate  to  represent  the interests of residential utility customers.
    23  The utility consumer advocate shall be appointed by the  governor  to  a
    24  term of six years, upon the advice and consent of the senate. The utili-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01248-01-9
        S. 4399                             2
     1  ty  consumer  advocate shall possess knowledge and experience in matters
     2  affecting residential utility customers and shall be responsible for the
     3  direction, control, and operation of the state  office  of  the  utility
     4  consumer  advocate,  including  its  hiring  of  staff  and retention of
     5  experts for analysis and testimony in proceedings. The utility  consumer
     6  advocate  shall  not be removed for cause, but may be removed only after
     7  notice and opportunity to be heard, and only for  permanent  disability,
     8  malfeasance, a felony, or conduct involving moral turpitude. Exercise of
     9  independent  judgment  in  advocating positions on behalf of residential
    10  utility customers shall not constitute cause for removal of the  utility
    11  consumer advocate.
    12    §  28-c.  Powers of the state office of the utility consumer advocate.
    13  The state office of the utility consumer advocate shall have  the  power
    14  and  duty  to:  (a)  initiate, intervene in, or participate on behalf of
    15  residential utility customers in any proceedings before the  commission,
    16  the  federal  energy  regulatory  commission, the federal communications
    17  commission, federal, state and local administrative and regulatory agen-
    18  cies, and state and federal courts in any matter or proceeding that  may
    19  substantially  affect  the  interests  of residential utility customers,
    20  including, but not limited to, a  proposed  change  of  rates,  charges,
    21  terms  and  conditions  of  service, the adoption of rules, regulations,
    22  guidelines, orders, standards or final policy decisions where the utili-
    23  ty consumer advocate deems  such  initiation,  intervention  or  partic-
    24  ipation to be necessary or appropriate;
    25    (b)  represent  the  interests of residential utility customers of the
    26  state before federal, state  and  local  administrative  and  regulatory
    27  agencies engaged in the regulation of energy, telecommunications, water,
    28  and  other  utility  services,  and  before  state and federal courts in
    29  actions and proceedings to review the actions of utilities or orders  of
    30  utility  regulatory  agencies.  Any  action or proceeding brought by the
    31  utility consumer advocate before a court or an agency shall  be  brought
    32  in  the  name  of the state office of the utility consumer advocate. The
    33  utility consumer advocate may join with a residential  utility  customer
    34  or group of residential utility customers in bringing an action;
    35    (c)  (i) in addition to any other authority conferred upon the utility
    36  consumer advocate, he or she is authorized, and it shall be his  or  her
    37  duty  to  represent  the interests of residential utility customers as a
    38  party, or otherwise participate for  the  purpose  of  representing  the
    39  interests of such customers before any agencies or courts. He or she may
    40  initiate proceedings if in his or her judgment doing so may be necessary
    41  in  connection  with  any  matter involving the actions or regulation of
    42  public utility companies whether on appeal or otherwise  initiated.  The
    43  utility  consumer advocate may monitor all cases before regulatory agen-
    44  cies in the United States, including the federal communications  commis-
    45  sion and the federal energy regulatory commission that affect the inter-
    46  ests  of  residential  utility  customers  of the state and may formally
    47  participate in those proceedings which in his or her  judgment  warrants
    48  such participation.
    49    (ii) the utility consumer advocate shall exercise his or her independ-
    50  ent  discretion  in  determining  the  interests  of residential utility
    51  customers that will be advocated  in  any  proceeding,  and  determining
    52  whether  to  participate in or initiate any proceeding and, in so deter-
    53  mining, shall consider the public interest, the resources available, and
    54  the substantiality of the effect of the proceeding on  the  interest  of
    55  residential utility customers;
        S. 4399                             3
     1    (d)  request  and  receive  from any state or local authority, agency,
     2  department or division  of  the  state  or  political  subdivision  such
     3  assistance,  personnel, information, books, records, other documentation
     4  and cooperation necessary to perform its duties; and
     5    (e) enter into cooperative agreements with other government offices to
     6  efficiently carry out its work.
     7    § 28-d. Reports. On July first, two thousand twenty and annually ther-
     8  eafter,  the state office of the utility consumer advocate shall issue a
     9  report to the governor and the legislature, and make such report  avail-
    10  able  to  the  public  free  of  charge on a publicly available website,
    11  containing, but not limited to, the following information:
    12    (a) all proceedings that the state  office  of  the  utility  consumer
    13  advocate  participated  in  and  the outcome of such proceedings, to the
    14  extent of such outcome and if not confidential;
    15    (b) estimated savings to residential utility consumers  that  resulted
    16  from  intervention by the state office of the utility consumer advocate;
    17  and
    18    (c) policy recommendations and suggested statutory amendments that the
    19  state office of the utility consumer advocate deems necessary.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next  succeeding
    21  the date on which it shall have become a law.