Amd §131-ss, Soc Serv L (as proposed in S.9100 & A.9522)
Requires the commissioner of the office of temporary and disability assistance to provide for automated identification of OTDA program participants for participation in utility corporation affordability programs for water service affordability.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
766
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to automated iden-
tification of OTDA program participants for participation in utility
corporation affordability programs for water service affordability
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 1 and subdivision 2
2 of section 131-ss of the social services law, as amended by a chapter of
3 the laws of 2024 amending the social services law relating to automated
4 identification of OTDA assistance program participants, as proposed in
5 legislative bills numbers S. 9100 and A. 9522, are amended to read as
6 follows:
7 (d) "Utility corporation" shall include utility companies, utility
8 corporations, public utility companies, public utility corporations, gas
9 corporations, electric corporations, municipalities as defined in
10 section two of the public service law and regulated pursuant to the
11 public service law, water-works corporations subject to section fifty of
12 the public service law, a municipal corporation that provides public
13 utility services, a rural electric cooperative, or a state public
14 authority that provides utility services.
15 (e) "Utility corporation [energy] affordability programs" shall be
16 defined by the public service commission and shall be limited to utility
17 corporation programs which are intended to assist customers with energy
18 or water service affordability by reducing customers' energy or water
19 service burden, as applicable.
20 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the commis-
21 sioner shall provide for automated identification of OTDA assistance
22 program participants for participation in utility corporation [energy or
23 water service] affordability programs for energy affordability pursuant
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02907-01-5
S. 766 2
1 to subdivision four of this section. Within one year and six months of
2 the effective date of this section, the commissioner shall provide for
3 automated identification of OTDA program participants for participation
4 in utility corporation affordability programs for water service afforda-
5 bility pursuant to subdivision four of this section.
6 § 2. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision 4 of section 131-ss of the
7 social services law, paragraph (a) as amended and paragraph (b) as added
8 by chapter 78 of the laws of 2024, are amended to read as follows:
9 (a) To the extent permitted by federal law, regulations and policies,
10 the office, upon the utility corporation agreeing to and signing the
11 office's data terms and upon receipt of the required data elements from
12 the utility corporation, as such data elements are defined by the
13 office, shall conduct automated file matching to identify utility corpo-
14 ration customer accounts that are also OTDA assistance program partic-
15 ipants and, if permitted by federal law, regulations and policies, such
16 information shall be provided to utility corporations no less than semi-
17 annually. Utility corporation customer accounts identified by the office
18 as potentially eligible for participation in available utility corpo-
19 ration [energy] affordability programs as a result of such file matching
20 shall be, if confirmed as eligible for such utility corporation [energy]
21 affordability programs by the utility corporation, enrolled in such
22 utility corporation [energy] affordability programs by the utility
23 corporation within sixty days of receipt by the utility corporation of
24 the results of the automated file match. Any information provided to the
25 utility corporations related to OTDA assistance program participants
26 pursuant to this section shall not be redisclosed by the utility corpo-
27 ration and shall only be utilized for the purpose of confirming eligi-
28 bility in the utility corporation [energy] affordability program and
29 providing notifications pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
30 (b) Upon automatic enrollment in the utility corporation [energy]
31 affordability program, the utility corporation shall provide written
32 notification to the utility corporation [energy] affordability program
33 participant of their enrollment in such program.
34 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
35 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the social services law
36 relating to automated identification of OTDA assistance program partic-
37 ipants, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 9100 and A. 9522,
38 takes effect.
