Enacts the "rate hike notice act" which requires utilities in the state of New York to provide notice of a proposed rate hike to a customer via text, email and via such customer's monthly billing statement.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5553
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 24, 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 enacting the
"rate hike notice act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "rate hike notice act".
3 § 2. Subdivision 12 of section 66 of the public service law is amended
4 by adding a new paragraph (m) to read as follows:
5 (m) Within one business day of the publication of the information
6 required pursuant to paragraph (l) of this subdivision, the commission
7 shall require each utility to send electronic notice of a proposed rate
8 increase via text to all customers for whom such utility contacts
9 through text. The text shall inform such customer that such utility is
10 proposing a rate increase in the customer's service area which shall use
11 the following text: "As required by New York's rate hike notice act, we
12 are writing to inform you that (insert utility name) is proposing a rate
13 increase of (insert percent increase) for gas and (insert percent
14 increase) for electricity for the typical residential customer and a
15 rate increase of (insert percent increase) for gas and (insert percent
16 increase) for electricity for the typical commercial customer. For more
17 information check your email or your next mailed bill.". If the utility
18 is proposing a rate increase for only gas or electric rates, such utili-
19 ty in its text message shall include language relating only to the type
20 of utility involved in the rate case. Further, within one business day
21 of the publication of the information required pursuant to paragraph (l)
22 of this subdivision, the commission shall also require each utility to
23 send electronic notice of a proposed rate increase via email to all
24 customers for whom such utility contacts through email and such email
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04975-03-5
S. 5553 2
1 notice shall include information identical to the information provided
2 on the commission's website pursuant to paragraph (l) of this subdivi-
3 sion. In addition, each utility shall include a notice of a proposed
4 rate increase in each customer's next monthly bill statement and such
5 notice in the monthly billing statement shall consist of a separate page
6 which shall include information identical to the information provided on
7 the commission's website pursuant to paragraph (l) of this subdivision.
8 § 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
9 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
10 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
11 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
12 on or before such effective date.
