Prohibits utility companies from harassing, oppressing or abusing any residential customer in connection with the handling of a residential customer complaint, the offering and/or negotiating of a deferred payment agreement, or the collection of an unpaid balance or any other obligation owed by such customer.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4823
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 12, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- 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 prohibiting util-
ity companies from harassing, oppressing or abusing any residential
customer in connection with the handling of a complaint or unpaid
balance
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 53-a to read as follows:
3 § 53-a. Prohibition of utilities engaging in detrimental conduct
4 towards a residential customer. 1. A utility corporation or munici-
5 pality, or energy services companies subject to the department's uniform
6 business practices and section three hundred forty-nine and three
7 hundred forty-nine-d of the general business law, also known as ESCOs,
8 shall not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to
9 harass, oppress, or abuse any residential customer in connection with
10 the handling of a residential customer complaint, the offering and/or
11 negotiating of a deferred payment agreement, or the collection of an
12 unpaid balance or any other obligation owed by such customer.
13 2. All utilities or municipal utilities or ESCOs in violation of this
14 section shall be subject to fines, penalties and enforcement by the
15 department pursuant to sections twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-five-a,
16 and twenty-six of this chapter, and all such other legal or equitable
17 remedies as may be necessary or convenient for protection of consumers
18 against the prohibited behaviors described in subdivision one of this
19 section.
20 3. The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to
21 implement and enforce the provisions of this section.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08935-01-1
S. 4823 2
1 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
2 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
3 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
4 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
5 on or before such effective date.
