Requires electric companies to provide alternative measures to ensure customers with documented need for essential electricity for medical needs have access to electricity during power outages; requires electric companies to provide generators or lodging for such individuals and transportation for medical devices; prohibits electric companies from passing costs for such alternative measures on to rate payers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8895
IN SENATE
August 11, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sen. KAPLAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring elec-
tric companies to provide alternative measures to ensure customers
with documented need for essential electricity for medical needs are
able to maintain their health and well-being during power outages
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of
2 section 66 of the public service law, as added by section 4 of part X of
3 chapter 57 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
4 (iii) identification of and outreach plans to customers who had docu-
5 mented their need for essential electricity for medical needs, including
6 provisions regarding how such customers will be provided with alterna-
7 tive measures to ensure their health and well-being if power cannot
8 adequately be provided. Such provisions shall include providing electric
9 generators or lodging for the individual requiring such essential elec-
10 tricity for medical needs and shall also include transportation of
11 medical devices, as needed. Such provisions shall also specify that any
12 cost incurred by an electric company in providing such alternative meas-
13 ures shall not be borne by rate payers;
14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD17095-01-0
