Enacts the "billing transparency act"; provides that every utility corporation, energy services corporation and municipality shall provide an itemized breakdown of customers' bills each month; provides that electric utility corporations, energy services companies and municipalities shall maintain a dedicated and easily accessible customer website that explains customer charges.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8735
IN SENATE
January 7, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- 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
"billing transparency 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 "billing transparency act".
3 § 2. Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding a new
4 subdivision 8 to read as follows:
5 8. (a) Every electric utility corporation, energy services company and
6 municipality shall provide on each customer's monthly bill an itemized
7 breakdown that includes, at a minimum:
8 (i) the portion of the bill attributable to infrastructure costs,
9 including transmission, distribution, and maintenance; and
10 (ii) the portion of the bill attributable to any credits, surcharges,
11 assessments, taxes or adjustments, including solar or outage credits.
12 (b) The commission shall promulgate regulations establishing uniform
13 standards for the format and presentation of such itemized breakdowns to
14 ensure clarity and consistency across utilities.
15 (c) Every electric utility corporation, energy services company and
16 municipality shall maintain a dedicated and easily accessible customer
17 website that explains each type of charge in plain, simple and digest-
18 ible language. Such website shall conform to the most current version of
19 the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, specifically level AA, adopted
20 by the World Wide Web Consortium for accessibility, or any successor
21 standards. Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and
22 municipalities shall include additional explanatory notes or resources
23 to assist customers in understanding each category of charges.
24 (d) (i) Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and
25 municipalities shall submit quarterly reports to the commission summa-
26 rizing their billing practices, updates to website content, customer
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14337-01-6
S. 8735 2
1 complaints related to bill clarity, and actions taken to assist custom-
2 ers in understanding their charges.
3 (ii) The commission may audit utility bills, websites, and customer
4 service practices to ensure compliance with this subdivision. Audits may
5 include random sampling of bills, reviews of online content, and verifi-
6 cation of procedures used to assist customers in understanding their
7 statements. Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and
8 municipalities found in violation of this subdivision shall submit a
9 corrective action plan within a timeframe specified by the commission
10 and shall be subject to ongoing oversight until compliance is achieved.
11 (iii) The commission shall establish, by regulation, procedures and
12 penalties for the enforcement of this subdivision.
13 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
14 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
15 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
16 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
17 completed on or before such effective date.
