NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9188

Senate Bill S9188

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to information required to be published prior to a major rate change by a public gas or electric utility

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 03, 2024	referred to energy and telecommunications

2023-S9188 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9827
Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §66, Pub Serv L

2023-S9188 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the public service commission to publish certain information prior to a major rate change by a public gas or electric utility including an explanation of why the rate change is requested and a summary of how the proposed revenue will be spent.

2023-S9188 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9188

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to information
required to be published prior to a major rate change by a public gas or
electric utility

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to make utility rate cases within the Public
Service Commission more transparent and accessible to the public.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill would require the Public Service Commission (PSC) to make
available a one-page summary of major rate cases, both after their
initiation and upon conclusion, which would include important informa-
tion about the rate case notably potential financial impacts of rate
payers. It would also require the summary to be published on their
website and shared with newspapers and legislators.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Public Service Commission (PSC) regulates public utilities across
the state and is tasked with approving utility rate increases. The proc-
ess by which this happens, called a rate case, is a complicated, techni-
cal, and overwhelming process which often has immense consequences for
the average citizen of the state. While all of the documents of this
process are in principle available to the public, finding them, sorting
through them and making sense of them can be nothing short of a full-
time job.

This bill aims to simplify and improve the transparency of this process
for the average ratepayer by making it easier for them to understand how
a rate case might affect them. Requiring PSC to provide a short summary
of important rate case information, such as average rate increases and
how to submit public comment, is a necessary step at improving this
complicated process and helping promote public understanding and partic-
ipation.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become law.

2023-S9188 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9188
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 3, 2024
                                ___________
 
 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 information
   required to be published prior to a major rate change by a public  gas
   or electric utility
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 12 of section 66 of the public service  law  is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (l) to read as follows:
   (1)  (I)  THE COMMISSION SHALL, WITHIN TEN DAYS OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF
 ANY MATTER INVOLVING A MAJOR CHANGE  IN  A  RATE  FOR  ELECTRIC  OR  GAS
 SERVICE,  PUBLISH,  IN A READILY ACCESSIBLE LOCATION ON THE DEPARTMENT'S
 WEBSITE, A SUMMARY IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, NOT TO EXCEED  ONE  PAGE  OR  FIVE
 HUNDRED  WORDS,  TO THE EXTENT SUCH INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, CONTAINING
 THE FOLLOWING:
   (A) THE PROPOSED RATE TERM;
   (B) THE TOTAL PROPOSED RATE CHANGE, IN  BOTH  PERCENTAGE  CHANGE  FROM
 PRIOR RATE YEAR AND ABSOLUTE REQUESTED TARIFF VALUE, INCLUDING YEARLY OR
 SLIDING SCALE BREAKDOWN IF APPLICABLE;
   (C)  THE  AVERAGE  PROPOSED RATE CHANGE FOR A RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL,
 AND INDUSTRIAL RATEPAYER, INCLUDING YEARLY OR SLIDING SCALE BREAKDOWN IF
 APPLICABLE;
   (D) AN EXPLANATION OF WHY THE RATE CHANGES ARE REQUESTED AND A SUMMARY
 OF HOW THE PROPOSED REVENUE WILL BE SPENT;
   (E) THE PROPOSED RETURN ON EQUITY  IN  BOTH  PERCENTAGE  AND  ABSOLUTE
 VALUE OVER THE TOTAL RATE TERM;
   (F)  AN  ESTIMATED TIMELINE OF RELEVANT HEARINGS, COMMENT PERIODS, AND
 DEADLINES;
   (G) AN EXPLANATION OF HOW TO SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT; AND
   (H) ANY OTHER INFORMATION THE COMMISSION FINDS RELEVANT.
   (II) THE COMMISSION SHALL, WITHIN TEN DAYS OF THE ISSUANCE OF AN ORDER
 ADOPTING A RATE CHANGE FOR ELECTRIC OR GAS SERVICE OR A TARIFF  RELATING
 TO  A  MAJOR CHANGE IN A RATE FOR ELECTRIC OR GAS SERVICE, PUBLISH, IN A
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD15220-02-4
 S. 9188                             2
 
 READILY ACCESSIBLE LOCATION ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE, A SUMMARY,  NOT
 TO EXCEED ONE PAGE OR FIVE HUNDRED WORDS, CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING:
   (A) THE RATE TERM;
   (B)  THE  TOTAL RATE CHANGE, IN BOTH PERCENTAGE CHANGE FROM PRIOR RATE
 YEAR AND ABSOLUTE TARIFF VALUE, INCLUDING YEARLY OR SLIDING SCALE BREAK-
 DOWN IF APPLICABLE;
   (C) A COMPARISON OF THE INITIAL  PROPOSED  RATE  CHANGE  AND  ABSOLUTE
 TARIFF VALUE AND THE FINAL APPROVED RATE AND TARIFF VALUE;
   (D)  THE AVERAGE RATE CHANGE FOR A RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND INDUS-
 TRIAL RATEPAYER, INCLUDING YEARLY OR SLIDING SCALE BREAKDOWN IF APPLICA-
 BLE;
   (E) A SUMMARY OF HOW THE REVENUE WILL BE SPENT;
   (F) THE AUTHORIZED RETURN ON EQUITY IN BOTH  PERCENTAGE  AND  ABSOLUTE
 VALUE OVER THE TOTAL RATE TERM;
   (G)  A SUMMARY OF OTHER PROPOSALS RELEVANT TO RATEPAYERS SUCH AS EARN-
 INGS  ADJUSTMENT  MECHANISMS,  EXCESS  REVENUE  ALLOCATION,  PERFORMANCE
 METRICS, AFFORDABILITY PROGRAMS, AND ADDITIONAL FEES; AND
   (H) ANY OTHER INFORMATION THE COMMISSION FINDS RELEVANT.
   (III)  IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SUBDI-
 VISION, THE COMMISSION SHALL SEND  SUCH  SUMMARIES  TO  MEMBERS  OF  THE
 LEGISLATURE  WHO  REPRESENT ANY PORTION OF THE TERRITORY IMPACTED BY THE
 PROPOSED CHANGE AS WELL AS NEWSPAPERS HAVING GENERAL CIRCULATION IN EACH
 COUNTY CONTAINING THE TERRITORY AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED CHANGE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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