NY State Senate Bill 2025-S4231

Senate Bill S4231

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring the notification of a public utility company's or municipality's customers when the supply rate increases by at least forty percent and to notify such customers of bill assistance

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
Feb 03, 2025	referred to energy and telecommunications

2025-S4231 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1270
Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §§44-a & 44-b, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A10782
2019-2020: A3155
2021-2022: S4628, A3888
2023-2024: S5596, A2859

2025-S4231 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the notification of a public utility company's or municipality's customers when the supply rate increases by at least forty percent and to notify such customers of bill assistance programs by posting on the utility company's website.

2025-S4231 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4231

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring the
notification of a public utility company's or municipality's customers
when the supply rate increases by at least forty percent

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would require utility companies to notify their customers when
an actual or projected energy supply rate is one hundred percent greater
the prior month's supply rate.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 44-a to
require a utility company or municipality which supplies energy to noti-
fy their customers on their website when they determine that an actual
or projected energy supply rate will be at least 100 percent greater
than the month prior.

Section 2 states that the act shall take place immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Ratepayers are often blindsided when they receive a supply rate bill
from their utility company that is significantly larger than their prior
bill. The new electric bill can sometimes be 100, 200 or even 300
percent greater than the bill from the prior month. This unexpected
increase can cause a heavy financial burden on customers.

This bill seeks to make it clear to customers by giving notice prior to
completion of the billing cycle that there is a potential for a large,
increase in their supply rate. Utility companies would be required to
publish in a conspicuous part of their website a notice to customers
when the energy supply rate has the potential to be 100 percent greater
than their last bill.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: S5596 Comrie

2021-2022: S4628

A10782 of 2017-2018

A3155 of 2019-2020

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

NONE

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:.
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S4231 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4231
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 3, 2025
                                ___________
 
 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 requiring the
   notification of a public utility company's or municipality's customers
   when the supply rate increases by at least forty percent
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
 44-a to read as follows:
   § 44-A. INCREASE IN ENERGY SUPPLY RATE; CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION. WHEN  A
 PUBLIC  UTILITY COMPANY OR MUNICIPALITY WHICH SUPPLIES ENERGY DETERMINES
 THAT AN ACTUAL OR PROJECTED ENERGY SUPPLY RATE IS AT LEAST FORTY PERCENT
 OVER THE PRIOR MONTH'S ENERGY SUPPLY RATE, SUCH PUBLIC  UTILITY  COMPANY
 OR MUNICIPALITY SHALL NOTIFY THEIR CUSTOMERS BY CONSPICUOUSLY POSTING ON
 THEIR  WEBSITE  THEIR ENERGY SUPPLY RATE AS WELL AS THE PERCENT INCREASE
 IN SUCH RATE FROM THE PRIOR MONTH.
   § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 44-b to
 read as follows:
   § 44-B. BILL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS; CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION.  EACH  PUBLIC
 UTILITY COMPANY OR MUNICIPALITY WHICH SUPPLIES ENERGY SHALL NOTIFY THEIR
 CUSTOMERS  BY  CONSPICUOUSLY  POSTING  ON THEIR WEBSITE ANY AND ALL BILL
 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03822-01-5

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