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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1201--C
Cal. No. 1380
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, ADDABBO, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, HINCHEY, JACKSON
-- 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
-- recommitted 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 commit-
tee -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the
Committee on Finance -- 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
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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04720-09-4
S. 1201--C 2
1 (b) A gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality which
2 offers such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the avail-
3 ability and amount of such discount on the website of such gas corpo-
4 ration, electric corporation or municipality. The availability and
5 amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the
6 accessibility page of the website of such gas corporation, electric
7 corporation or municipality.
8 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
9 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named utility service account-
10 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou-
11 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years
12 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
13 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or
14 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine
15 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national
16 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
17 (b) A primary named utility service accountholder shall provide the
18 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality an authenticat-
19 ed copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be eligible for such
20 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
21 sion.
22 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to
23 read as follows:
24 § 89-q. Water discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other
25 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require
26 waterworks corporations and municipal water systems to establish a
27 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec-
28 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to
29 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on water utility bills.
30 The fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and
31 shall not be added to bills rendered by a waterworks corporation or
32 municipal water system to customers.
33 (b) A waterworks corporation or municipal water system which offers
34 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and
35 amount of such discount on the website of such waterworks corporation or
36 municipal water system. The availability and amount of such discount
37 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the
38 website of such waterworks corporation or municipal water system.
39 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
40 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named waterworks or municipal
41 water system service accountholder; (ii) has had a total household
42 income of less than fifty thousand dollars for the most recent two
43 consecutive income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri-
44 fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) served in and
45 who received any honorable or general discharge from the United States
46 army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard and/or the reserves
47 thereof, and/or the army national guard, air national guard, New York
48 guard or New York naval militia.
49 (b) A primary named waterworks or municipal water system service
50 accountholder shall provide the waterworks corporation or municipal
51 water system an authenticated copy of such accountholder's discharge
52 papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under
53 paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
54 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
55 read as follows:
S. 1201--C 3
1 § 91-b. Telephone discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other
2 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
3 telephone corporation to establish a discount program for veterans no
4 later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such
5 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten
6 percent discount on telephone bills. The fiscal impact of such program
7 shall not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered
8 by a telephone corporation to customers.
9 (b) A telephone corporation which offers such discount program shall
10 conspicuously advertise the availability and amount of such discount on
11 the website of such telephone corporation. The availability and amount
12 of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessi-
13 bility page of the website of such telephone corporation.
14 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable
15 Connectivity program, any successor federal program or any successor
16 state program established by the commission that is substantially simi-
17 lar in eligibility and participation criteria to the federal govern-
18 ment's affordable connectivity program shall satisfy the telephone
19 corporation's or cable television company's obligation to establish a
20 discount program under paragraph (a) of this subdivision, unless the
21 commission deems it insufficient to satisfy such requirements. The
22 telephone corporation or cable television company shall not be obligated
23 to establish a discount program under paragraph (a) of this subdivision
24 if the commission does not establish a successor state program.
25 (d) A telephone corporation or cable television company shall not be
26 obligated to establish a discount program under paragraph (a) of this
27 subdivision if the commission deems a current program already in place
28 through such telephone corporation or cable television company satisfies
29 the criteria established under this subdivision.
30 (e) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
31 sion, a telephone corporation may require proof of eligibility from the
32 primary named telephone service accountholder for the calendar year in
33 which the discount is sought.
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 telephone service
36 accountholder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty
37 thousand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years
38 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
39 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or
40 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine
41 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national
42 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
43 (b) A primary named telephone service accountholder shall provide the
44 telephone corporation an authenticated copy of such accountholder's
45 discharge papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligi-
46 bility under paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
47 § 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d
48 to read as follows:
49 § 224-d. Cable discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other
50 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
51 telephone corporation, as defined in subdivision seventeen of section
52 two of this chapter, and a cable television company, as defined in
53 section two hundred twelve of this article, that provides cable service
54 to customers in New York, to establish a discount program for veterans
55 no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such
56 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten
S. 1201--C 4
1 percent discount on cable bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall
2 not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by a
3 telephone corporation or cable television company to customers.
4 (b) A telephone corporation or cable television company which offers
5 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and
6 amount of such discount on the website of such telephone corporation or
7 cable television company. The availability and amount of such discount
8 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the
9 website of such telephone corporation or cable television company.
10 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable
11 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem
12 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele-
13 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para-
14 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi-
15 cient to satisfy such requirements.
16 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
17 sion, a telephone corporation or cable television company may require
18 proof of eligibility from the primary named cable service accountholder
19 for the calendar year in which the discount is sought.
20 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi-
21 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named cable service account-
22 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou-
23 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years
24 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa-
25 tion and finance; and (iii) received any honorable or general discharge
26 from the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard
27 and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national guard, air
28 national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia.
29 (b) A primary named cable service accountholder shall provide the
30 telephone corporation or the cable television company an authenticated
31 copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be eligible for such
32 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
33 sion.
34 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
35 it shall have become a law.
