Requires entities responsible for the provision of vital services to coordinate and work expeditiously to restore service whenever such service is interrupted; includes gas as a vital service.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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7357
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
September 3, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to requiring enti-
ties responsible for the provision of vital services to coordinate and
work expeditiously to restore service whenever such service is inter-
rupted
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 402-e of the public housing law,
2 as amended by chapter 47 of the laws of 2020, is amended and a new
3 subdivision 5 is added to read as follows:
4 1. In order to ensure compliance and enforcement of the New York city
5 housing authority's duty to provide heat, water, electricity, gas and
6 elevator service, the New York city housing authority shall publish
7 information regarding reported disruptions in such services, the length
8 of such disruptions and the steps taken to restore services. Starting on
9 May first, two thousand twenty, the New York city housing authority
10 shall publish such information on its website. For six months after the
11 original publication date, the New York city housing authority shall
12 retain such information on its website.
13 5. a. The department of housing preservation and development, or any
14 agency of the city of New York or state agency charged with the
15 inspection of conditions, required to remedy conditions, or with general
16 jurisdiction to remedy conditions, and any utility corporation in owner-
17 ship or control of the meters, pipes, fittings, wires and other appara-
18 tus associated with the establishment of service to a residence, shall
19 ensure that all interruptions of vital services set forth in subdivision
20 one of this section be remedied as expeditiously as practicable.
21 b. For purposes of this subdivision, "expeditiously as practicable"
22 shall mean a requirement that each responsible entity described in para-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13060-01-1
S. 7357 2
1 graph a of this subdivision take all available actions to restore
2 service, including, but not limited to:
3 (i) Applying for emergency repair permits;
4 (ii) Coordinating with all relevant agencies and corporations on a
5 plan of restoration;
6 (iii) Communicating said restoration plan to all affected residents;
7 and
8 (iv) Mitigating the effects of service interruption through monetary
9 compensation or rebate.
10 c. Any utility corporation in ownership or control of the meters,
11 pipes, fittings, wires and other apparatus associated with the estab-
12 lishment of service to a residence who cannot demonstrate a good faith
13 effort to comply with the provisions of this subdivision shall be liable
14 for a penalty of two hundred fifty dollars for each affected occupied
15 unit for each day during which service remains interrupted.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
