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S01851 Summary:

S01851 Actions:

S01851 Committee Votes:

S01851 Floor Votes:

S01851 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         1851--B
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    January 17, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sens.  HINCHEY,  LIU,  MURRAY, ROLISON -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Energy  and Telecommunications -- reported favorably from said commit-
          tee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a  third  reading,
          passed  by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote recon-
          sidered, 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 committee
 
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation  to  permitting  the
          rendering  of  an estimated bill from a utility corporation or munici-
          pality under certain circumstances
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Subdivision 1 of section 39 of the public service law, as
     2  amended by chapter 686 of the laws of 2002, is amended and a new  subdi-
     3  vision 1-a is added to read as follows:
     4    1.  A utility corporation or municipality may, in accordance with such
     5  requirements as the commission may impose by regulation, render an esti-
     6  mated bill for any billing period if: (a) the  procedure  used  by  such
     7  utility  or  municipality  for  calculating  estimated  bills  has  been
     8  approved by the commission, and the bill clearly indicates  that  it  is
     9  based  on  an estimated reading and (b) the utility owning the meter and
    10  providing the meter reading data on which the  estimated  bill  will  be
    11  based or the municipality has made reasonable effort to obtain an actual
    12  meter  reading or (c) circumstances beyond the control of the utility or
    13  municipality made an actual reading of the meter extremely difficult  or
    14  (d) circumstances indicate a reported reading is likely to be erroneous,
    15  or  (e)  an estimated reading is prescribed or authorized by the commis-
    16  sion for a billing period between periods when actual meter readings are
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02154-06-4
        S. 1851--B                          2
 
     1  scheduled or for seasonal or short  term  customers.    Outside  of  the
     2  aforementioned  criteria for estimated billing pursuant to this section,
     3  all other bills shall use actual meter readings, however  such  readings
     4  may  be  obtained,  provided  that such readings are taken in accordance
     5  with the provisions of this section.  To  the  extent  practicable,  any
     6  additional  costs  required to achieve actual meter readings pursuant to
     7  this subdivision shall not be passed onto the customer.
     8    1-a. The commission shall require each utility corporation and munici-
     9  pality within six months after the effective date of this subdivision to
    10  submit to the commission a model procedure for the calculation of  esti-
    11  mated bills that incorporates best practices and technology and accounts
    12  for  any  barriers  to  the  use  of actual meter readings. On or before
    13  November first, two thousand twenty-five, the commission  shall  promul-
    14  gate  rules  and  regulations to incorporate and adopt such model proce-
    15  dures for utility corporations and municipalities.
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.