Bill Text: NY S08697 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides a reimbursement to small businesses and residential consumers of certain utilities for failure to provide contracted services; requires the Long Island power authority to do the same.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-01 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S08697 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08697-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8697

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 1, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- 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 and the public authorities law,
          in relation to providing a reimbursement to small business  and  resi-
          dential   consumers  of  certain  utilities  for  failure  to  provide
          contracted services

          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  119-e to read as follows:
     3    § 119-e. Failure to provide contracted services.  1.    A  residential
     4  consumer  or  small  business  who has a contract for service with a gas
     5  corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric  corporation,  water
     6  corporation,  steam  corporation  or a municipality rendering equivalent
     7  utility services shall be entitled to a discount when the  service  such
     8  residential  consumer  or  small  business  has  contracted  for  is not
     9  provided for by such gas  corporation,  electric  corporation,  gas  and
    10  electric  corporation, water corporation, steam corporation or a munici-
    11  pality rendering equivalent utility services for a period  of  at  least
    12  forty-eight  hours  after  the  end  of  a failure of equipment, weather
    13  event, natural disaster or any other  disruption  in  the  providing  of
    14  service.  The  department shall promulgate rules and regulations, within
    15  one hundred eighty days from the effective  date  of  this  section,  to
    16  calculate  how a utility shall reimburse a residential consumer or small
    17  business pursuant to this section.  Such reimbursement shall be  applied
    18  to the monthly charges assessed by such gas corporation, electric corpo-
    19  ration,  gas  and  electric corporation, water corporation, steam corpo-
    20  ration or a municipality rendering equivalent utility services.
    21    2. For purposes of this section, "small business" shall mean  a  busi-
    22  ness  which is resident in this state, independently owned and operated,
    23  not dominant in its field and employs fifty or less persons.
    24    3. No cost created pursuant to this section shall be the  responsibil-
    25  ity of a ratepayer.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01668-03-4
        S. 8697                             2

     1    § 2. Section 1020-f of the public authorities law, as added by chapter
     2  517  of the laws of 1986, is amended by adding a new subdivision (ll) to
     3  read as follows:
     4    (ll) Failure to provide contracted services.  1. A residential consum-
     5  er  or  small  business  who  has  a contract for service with a service
     6  provider or the authority shall be  entitled  to  a  discount  when  the
     7  service  such  residential consumer or small business has contracted for
     8  is not provided for by such service provider  or  the  authority  for  a
     9  period  of  at  least  forty-eight  hours  after the end of a failure of
    10  equipment, weather event, natural disaster or any  other  disruption  in
    11  the  providing  of  service.  The board shall promulgate rules and regu-
    12  lations, within one hundred eighty days from the effective date of  this
    13  subdivision,  to calculate how a service provider or the authority shall
    14  reimburse a residential consumer or  small  business  pursuant  to  this
    15  subdivision.  Such reimbursement shall be applied to the monthly charges
    16  assessed by such service provider or the authority.
    17    2. For purposes of this subdivision, "small  business"  shall  mean  a
    18  business  which is resident in this state, independently owned and oper-
    19  ated, not dominant in its field and employs fifty or less persons.
    20    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.