NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9188

Senate Bill S9188

Signed By Governor

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 Via A9827 - Signed by Governor

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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Sep 25, 2024	signed chap.333
Sep 20, 2024	delivered to governor
Jun 06, 2024	returned to assembly passed senate 3rd reading cal.1593 substituted for s9188
Jun 06, 2024	substituted by a9827
May 30, 2024	ordered to third reading cal.1593 committee discharged and committed to rules
May 03, 2024	referred to energy and telecommunications

Votes

- Jun 6, 2024 - Floor Vote
  A9827
  
  61
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 6, 2024
      
      aye (61)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Ashby
      
      Bailey
      
      Borrello
      
      Breslin
      
      Brisport
      
      Brouk
      
      Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick
      
      Chu
      
      Cleare
      
      Comrie
      
      Cooney
      
      Felder
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Gonzalez
      
      Gounardes
      
      Griffo
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      Hinchey
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mannion
      
      Martinez
      
      Martins
      
      Mattera
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Murray
      
      Myrie
      
      O'Mara
      
      Oberacker
      
      Ortt
      
      Palumbo
      
      Parker
      
      Persaud
      
      Ramos
      
      Rhoads
      
      Rivera
      
      Rolison
      
      Ryan
      
      Salazar
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Scarcella-Spanton
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Serrano
      
      Skoufis
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Tedisco
      
      Thomas
      
      Webb
      
      Weber
      
      Weik
      
      excused (1)
      
      Walczyk
  May 30, 2024 - Rules Committee Vote
  S9188
  
  19
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: May 30, 2024
      
      aye (19)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Bailey
      
      Breslin
      
      Comrie
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Griffo
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mayer
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Parker
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Thomas
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Helming

2023-S9188 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9827
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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