A 1833: Increases the number of members in the public service commission from five to seven members.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1833 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to membership in the public service commission The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 4 of the public service law, as amended by chapter 2 155 of the laws of 1970, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 594 of the 3 laws of 2021 and subdivision 4 as added by chapter 584 of the laws of 4 2021, is amended to read as follows: 5 § 4. The public service commission. 1. There shall be in the depart- 6 ment of public service a public service commission, which shall possess 7 the powers and duties hereinafter specified, and also all powers neces- 8 sary or proper to enable it to carry out the purposes of this chapter. 9 The commission shall consist of [five] seven members, to be appointed by 10 the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate. Two 11 members of the commission shall be selected from a not-for-profit organ- 12 ization with a mission of consumer protection and/or social justice or 13 having a background in consumer protection and/or social justice. One 14 member of the seven member commission shall be a resident of a nonat- 15 tainment area. A commissioner shall be designated as [chairman] chair of 16 the commission by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure 17 of the governor or until [his] the term as commissioner expires whichev- 18 er first occurs. At least one commissioner shall have experience in 19 utility consumer advocacy. No more than [three] five commissioners may 20 be members of the same political party [unless, pursuant to action taken 21 under subdivision two of this section, the number of commissioners shall 22 exceed five, and in such event no more than four commissioners may be 23 members of the same political party]. 24 2. [Notwithstanding subdivision one, whenever the commission shall 25 certify to the governor that additional commissioners are needed for the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04519-01-5 
 A. 1833 2 1 proper disposition of the business before it, the governor may increase 2 the membership of the commission to seven members by appointing two 3 additional commissioners by and with the advice and consent of the 4 senate. The terms of office of such additional commissioners and the 5 filling of vacancies during such terms shall be governed by subdivision 6 three, except that upon the expiration of the terms of such additional 7 commissioners, no further appointments or reappointments shall be made 8 to such additional offices, unless the commission shall first certify to 9 the governor that the need for additional commissioners continues to 10 exist. 11 3.] The term of office of a commissioner shall be six years from the 12 first day of February of the calendar year in which [he] such commis- 13 sioner shall be appointed and commissioners shall serve on a full-time 14 basis. Upon a vacancy [occuring] occurring otherwise than by expiration 15 of term in the office of any commissioner, the governor, by and with the 16 advice and consent of the senate, shall fill the vacancy by appointment 17 for the unexpired term. 18 [4.] 3. Any commissioner appointed on or after July first, two thou- 19 sand twenty-two, pursuant to this section shall have education and 20 training, and three or more years of experience in one or more of the 21 following fields: economics, engineering, law, accounting, business 22 management, utility regulation, public policy, consumer advocacy or 23 environmental management. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.