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SB1201%25 Summary:

BILL NOS01201B
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORPARKER
 
COSPNSRADDABBO, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, HINCHEY
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add §§66-x, 89-q, 91-b & 224-d, Pub Serv L
 
Relates to establishing discount programs for veterans; provides that utilities, waterworks corporations, telephone corporations and cable television companies shall create discount programs that provide a 10 percent discount to veterans; defines terms.
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SB1201%25 Actions:

BILL NOS01201B
 
01/10/2023REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
01/17/20231ST REPORT CAL.126
01/18/20232ND REPORT CAL.
01/23/2023ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
05/31/2023PASSED SENATE
05/31/2023DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
05/31/2023referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
06/06/2023RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY
06/06/2023returned to senate
06/06/2023VOTE RECONSIDERED - RESTORED TO THIRD READING
06/06/2023AMENDED ON THIRD READING 1201A
06/10/2023COMMITTED TO RULES
01/03/2024REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
03/28/2024AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
03/28/2024PRINT NUMBER 1201B
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SB1201%25 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         1201--B
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    January 10, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by Sens. PARKER, ADDABBO, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, HINCHEY -- read
          twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
          Committee  on Energy and Telecommunications -- reported favorably from
          said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third
          reading, passed by Senate and delivered  to  the  Assembly,  recalled,
          vote  reconsidered,  restored  to  third  reading, amended and ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading -- recom-
          mitted to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications in accordance
          with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public service law, in relation to establishing
          discount programs for veterans
 
          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-x to read as follows:
     3    § 66-x. Utility discount program.   1. (a) Notwithstanding  any  other
     4  provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
     5  gas  corporation,  electric  corporation  or municipality to establish a
     6  discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec-
     7  tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit  to
     8  veterans  in  the  form  of a ten percent discount on utility bills. The
     9  fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and  shall
    10  not  be  added  to  bills rendered by a gas corporation, electric corpo-
    11  ration or municipality to customers.
    12    (b) A gas corporation,  electric  corporation  or  municipality  which
    13  offers  such  discount  program shall conspicuously advertise the avail-
    14  ability and amount of such discount on the website of  such  gas  corpo-
    15  ration,  electric  corporation  or  municipality.  The  availability and
    16  amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously  advertised  on  the
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04720-07-4

        S. 1201--B                          2
 
     1  accessibility  page  of  the  website  of such gas corporation, electric
     2  corporation or municipality.
     3    2.  (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
     4  dent of the state who (i) is the primary named utility service  account-
     5  holder;  (ii)  has had a total household income of less than fifty thou-
     6  sand dollars for the  most  recent  two  consecutive  income  tax  years
     7  beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
     8  tion  and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or
     9  general discharge from the United States army, navy, air  force,  marine
    10  corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national
    11  guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
    12    (b)    A primary named utility service accountholder shall provide the
    13  gas corporation,  electric  corporation  or municipality an authenticat-
    14  ed copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be eligible for such
    15  discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
    16  sion.
    17    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to
    18  read as follows:
    19    § 89-q. Water discount  program.  1.  (a)  Notwithstanding  any  other
    20  provision  of  law, the commission is authorized and directed to require
    21  waterworks corporations and  municipal  water  systems  to  establish  a
    22  discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec-
    23  tive date of this section.  Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to
    24  veterans  in  the form of a ten percent discount on water utility bills.
    25  The fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne  by  customers  and
    26  shall  not  be  added  to  bills rendered by a waterworks corporation or
    27  municipal water system to customers.
    28    (b) A waterworks corporation or municipal water  system  which  offers
    29  such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and
    30  amount of such discount on the website of such waterworks corporation or
    31  municipal  water  system.  The  availability and amount of such discount
    32  shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of  the
    33  website of such waterworks corporation or municipal water system.
    34    2.  (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
    35  dent of the state who (i) is the primary named waterworks  or  municipal
    36  water  system  service  accountholder;  (ii)  has  had a total household
    37  income of less than fifty thousand  dollars  for  the  most  recent  two
    38  consecutive  income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri-
    39  fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) served in  and
    40  who  received  any honorable or general discharge from the United States
    41  army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast  guard  and/or  the  reserves
    42  thereof,  and/or  the  army national guard, air national guard, New York
    43  guard or New York naval militia.
    44    (b)   A primary named waterworks or  municipal  water  system  service
    45  accountholder  shall  provide the waterworks  corporation  or  municipal
    46  water  system  an authenticated copy of such  accountholder's  discharge
    47  papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under
    48  paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
    49    § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
    50  read as follows:
    51    §  91-b.  Telephone discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other
    52  provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
    53  telephone corporation to establish a discount program  for  veterans  no
    54  later  than  ninety  days after the effective date of this section. Such
    55  program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form  of  a  ten
    56  percent  discount  on telephone bills. The fiscal impact of such program

        S. 1201--B                          3
 
     1  shall not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered
     2  by a telephone corporation to customers.
     3    (b)  A  telephone corporation which offers such discount program shall
     4  conspicuously advertise the availability and amount of such discount  on
     5  the  website  of such telephone corporation. The availability and amount
     6  of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the  accessi-
     7  bility page of the website of such telephone corporation.
     8    (c)  Participation  in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable
     9  Connectivity program, any successor federal  program  or  any  successor
    10  state  program established by the commission that is substantially simi-
    11  lar in eligibility and participation criteria  to  the  federal  govern-
    12  ment's  affordable  connectivity  program  shall  satisfy  the telephone
    13  corporation's or cable television company's obligation  to  establish  a
    14  discount  program  under  paragraph  (a) of this subdivision, unless the
    15  commission deems it insufficient to satisfy such requirements.
    16    (d) A telephone corporation or cable television company shall  not  be
    17  obligated  to  establish  a discount program under paragraph (a) of this
    18  subdivision if the commission deems a current program already  in  place
    19  through such telephone corporation or cable television company satisfies
    20  the criteria established under this subdivision.
    21    (e)  Before  applying  a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
    22  sion, a telephone corporation may require proof of eligibility from  the
    23  primary  named  telephone service accountholder for the calendar year in
    24  which the discount is sought.
    25    2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a  resi-
    26  dent  of  the  state  who  (i)  is  the  primary named telephone service
    27  accountholder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than  fifty
    28  thousand  dollars  for  the most recent two consecutive income tax years
    29  beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
    30  tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable  or
    31  general  discharge  from the United States army, navy, air force, marine
    32  corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national
    33  guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
    34    (b) A primary named telephone service accountholder shall provide  the
    35  telephone  corporation  an  authenticated  copy  of such accountholder's
    36  discharge papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate  eligi-
    37  bility under paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
    38    §  4.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d
    39  to read as follows:
    40    § 224-d. Cable discount program.  1.  (a)  Notwithstanding  any  other
    41  provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
    42  telephone  corporation,  as  defined in subdivision seventeen of section
    43  two of this chapter, and a  cable  television  company,  as  defined  in
    44  section  two hundred twelve of this article, that provides cable service
    45  to customers in New York, to establish a discount program  for  veterans
    46  no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such
    47  program  shall  offer  a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten
    48  percent discount on cable bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall
    49  not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by  a
    50  telephone corporation or cable television company to customers.
    51    (b)  A  telephone corporation or cable television company which offers
    52  such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and
    53  amount of such discount on the website of such telephone corporation  or
    54  cable  television  company. The availability and amount of such discount
    55  shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of  the
    56  website of such telephone corporation or cable television company.

        S. 1201--B                          4
 
     1    (c)  Participation  in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable
     2  Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem
     3  sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone  corporation's  or  cable  tele-
     4  vision  company's obligation to establish a discount program under para-
     5  graph  (a)  of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi-
     6  cient to satisfy such requirements.
     7    (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a)  of  this  subdivi-
     8  sion,  a  telephone  corporation or cable television company may require
     9  proof of eligibility from the primary named cable service  accountholder
    10  for the calendar year in which the discount is sought.
    11    2.  (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
    12  dent of the state who (i) is the primary named  cable  service  account-
    13  holder;  (ii)  has had a total household income of less than fifty thou-
    14  sand dollars for the  most  recent  two  consecutive  income  tax  years
    15  beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
    16  tion  and finance; and (iii) received any honorable or general discharge
    17  from the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast  guard
    18  and/or  the  reserves  thereof,  and/or  the  army  national  guard, air
    19  national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
    20    (b) A primary named cable  service  accountholder  shall  provide  the
    21  telephone  corporation  or the cable television company an authenticated
    22  copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be  eligible  for  such
    23  discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
    24  sion.
    25    § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    26  it shall have become a law.
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