Bill Text: NY S05841 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires gas and electric utilities to make available to landlords or lessors, upon request of prospective tenants or lessees, information concerning gas and electric charges incurred for residential rental premises.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S05841 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S05841-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5841

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 19, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations

        AN  ACT  to  amend the public service law, in relation to making gas and
          electric billing information for residential rental premises available
          upon request

          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 section
     2  66-p to read as follows:
     3    § 66-p. Gas and electric billing information  for  residential  rental
     4  premises.  Every  gas corporation, electric corporation and municipality
     5  shall make available to any landlord or  lessor  of  residential  rental
     6  premises,  within  ten  days of receipt of a written or internet request
     7  therefor from any prospective tenant or lessee  thereof,  prior  to  the
     8  commencement  of tenancy or execution of a lease, information consisting
     9  of the average monthly charges incurred at  such  premises  for  gas  or
    10  electric  service  or  both  for  the  life  of the dwelling unit or the
    11  preceding two year period, whichever is shorter.  Prospective tenants or
    12  lessees shall provide their name, address, driver's  license  number  or
    13  social  security  number or taxpayer identification number or non-driver
    14  ID card or any official documented or undocumented immigration identifi-
    15  cation,  signature,  and  acknowledge  that  this  billing   information
    16  requested  may only be used for the purpose of determining prior gas and
    17  electric usage as a factor in deciding to occupy the dwelling unit. Each
    18  prospective tenant or lessee is limited to a total of five requests in a
    19  calendar year within the state of New York.  Such information  shall  be
    20  identified  solely  by  the  address  of the dwelling unit, and no other
    21  information identifying the owner, lessee,  or  other  occupant  of  the
    22  dwelling  unit  shall  be  utilized for, or made available in connection
    23  with, the furnishing of billing information pursuant  to  this  section.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10028-01-1
        S. 5841                             2

     1  Such  information shall be furnished to both  the landlord or lessor and
     2  to the prospective tenant or lessee with an imposition of a five  dollar
     3  charge to the prospective tenant or lessee requesting the billing infor-
     4  mation  payable to the gas corporation, electric corporation and munici-
     5  pality providing such information.
     6    § 2. The public service commission is directed to: (a) create a  proc-
     7  ess whereby a prospective tenant or lessee may obtain by written request
     8  or  by  the  internet  to  the gas corporation, electric corporation and
     9  municipality the average monthly electric and gas charges for  the  life
    10  of  the  dwelling  unit  or  the preceding two year period, whichever is
    11  shorter, prior to the commencement of tenancy or execution  of  a  lease
    12  while  maintaining  the  privacy  of  the  current tenant or lessor; (b)
    13  ensure the request is made only for the purpose of deciding  whether  to
    14  occupy  a  dwelling  unit;  and  (c) determine the cost of providing the
    15  information by the utility and assess a fee to the prospective tenant or
    16  lessee requesting the information payable to the gas corporation,  elec-
    17  tric corporation and municipality providing the information.
    18    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    19  it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    20  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    21  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    22  completed on or before such effective date.