Amd §§65, 91, 224-b & 89-b, Pub Serv L; amd §399-zzzz, Gen Bus L
Prohibits electric, gas, telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet, energy, water services or any other utility providers from imposing additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for non-use or any other charges to customers living at their primary residence who are over sixty-five years of age or who have a developmental disability.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6110
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BROOK-KRASNY -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law and the general business law, in
relation to prohibiting utility companies from imposing certain addi-
tional fees to customers at their primary residence who are over
sixty-five years of age or who have a developmental disability
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 65 of the public service law is amended by adding a
2 new subdivision 17 to read as follows:
3 17. No company that provides electric, gas or any other utility shall
4 impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for
5 non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or
6 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen-
7 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, and when the premises
8 receiving service is a primary residence.
9 § 2. Section 91 of the public service law is amended by adding a new
10 subdivision 15 to read as follows:
11 15. No company that provides telephone or telegraph services shall
12 impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for
13 non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or
14 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen-
15 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises
16 receiving service is a primary residence.
17 § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 89-b of the public service law, as added
18 by chapter 715 of the laws of 1931, is amended to read as follows:
19 2. No water-works corporation shall directly or indirectly, by any
20 special rate, rebate, drawback or other device or method, charge,
21 demand, collect or receive from any person or corporation a greater or
22 less compensation for water, or for equipment or for any service
23 rendered or to be rendered or in connection therewith, except as author-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10573-01-3
A. 6110 2
1 ized in this article, than it charges, demands, collects or receives
2 from any other person or corporation for doing a like and contemporane-
3 ous service with respect thereto under the same or substantially similar
4 circumstances or conditions. Further, no water-works corporation shall
5 impose additional charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or
6 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen-
7 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises
8 receiving service is a primary residence.
9 § 4. Section 224-b of the public service law is amended by adding a
10 new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
11 3. No cable television company with at least one thousand subscribers
12 shall impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees
13 for non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty-
14 five or those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision
15 twenty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises
16 receiving service is a primary residence.
17 § 5. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 399-zzzz of the general
18 business law, as amended by chapter 246 of the laws of 2019, is amended
19 to read as follows:
20 a. no provider of telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet,
21 energy, or water services shall impose a fee for termination or early
22 cancellation of a service contract in the event the customer has
23 deceased before the end of such contract, or, when the premises receiv-
24 ing any such service is a primary residence and the customer is over the
25 age of sixty-five or has a developmental disability, as defined in
26 subdivision twenty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law; and
27 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
