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S04548 Summary:

S04548 Actions:

S04548 Committee Votes:

S04548 Floor Votes:

S04548 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          4548
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    February 10, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services
 
        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  providing  for
          the automated identification of affordability program participants
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new  section
     2  131-ss to read as follows:
     3    §  131-ss.  Automated  identification of affordability program partic-
     4  ipants. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the  following
     5  terms shall have the following meanings:
     6    (a) "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of the office of tempo-
     7  rary and disability assistance.
     8    (b) "Affordability program participant" shall mean a household that is
     9  determined  to  be  eligible  by  the  appropriate agency for any of the
    10  following programs:
    11    (i) Public assistance;
    12    (ii) Supplemental security income;
    13    (iii) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
    14    (iv) Low income home energy assistance program;
    15    (v) Veteran's disability pension;
    16    (vi) Veteran's surviving spouse pension;
    17    (vii) Child health plus;
    18    (viii) Lifeline; and
    19    (ix) Any other  income-based  assistance  program  identified  by  the
    20  public service commission in consultation with the office.
    21    (c) "Office" shall mean the office of temporary disability assistance.
    22    (d)  "Utility corporation" shall mean a corporation regulated pursuant
    23  to article two of the public service law.
    24    (e) "Utility  corporation  energy  affordability  programs"  shall  be
    25  defined  by  the  public  service  commission and shall include programs

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01630-01-3
        S. 4548                             2
 
     1  which are intended to assist  customers  with  energy  affordability  by
     2  reducing customers' energy burden.
     3    2.  Within  one  hundred  eighty  days  of  the effective date of this
     4  section, the commissioner shall establish a statewide program to provide
     5  for automated identification of eligible affordability  program  partic-
     6  ipants  for  participation  in  utility corporation energy affordability
     7  programs.
     8    3. The office shall engage  with  utility  corporations  to  establish
     9  automated  file  matching  mechanisms  that will provide, via electronic
    10  means, to utility corporations a list of eligible affordability  program
    11  participants within the utility corporation's service territory.
    12    4. The office shall conduct automated file matching to identify utili-
    13  ty  corporation  customer  accounts  that are also affordability program
    14  participants and such information shall be provided  to  utility  corpo-
    15  rations  no  less  than  semi-annually.    Utility  corporation customer
    16  accounts identified by the  office  as  eligible  for  participation  in
    17  available  utility corporation energy affordability programs as a result
    18  of such file matching shall be enrolled in such  programs  within  sixty
    19  days of receipt of the office communicating the results of the automated
    20  file  matching  to the utility corporation.  Any information provided to
    21  the utility corporations related to affordability  program  participants
    22  pursuant  to  this section shall be redacted as necessary to protect any
    23  information that is protected under any state or federal  privacy  laws,
    24  kept  confidential,  and  shall  only  be  utilized  for  the purpose of
    25  confirming eligibility in the utility corporation  energy  affordability
    26  program.
    27    5. The commissioner may adopt, on an emergency basis pursuant to arti-
    28  cle  two  of the state administrative procedure act, any rules necessary
    29  to carry out the provisions of this article.
    30    6. The commissioner may delegate the administration of any portion  of
    31  this  program  to  any  state  agency, city, county, town, contractor or
    32  non-profit organization in accordance with the provisions of this  arti-
    33  cle and applicable federal requirements.  Provided however, such privacy
    34  and  confidentiality  limitations prescribed in subdivision four of this
    35  section shall apply to any entity that the  commissioner  delegates  the
    36  administration of the program to.
    37    § 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.