A 2186: Directs the public service commission to undertake a study of consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and utilities; includes reporting on the adequacy of the public service commission's assistance to customers facing disconnection of utility service.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2186 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 15, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Energy AN ACT to direct the public service commission to undertake a study of consumer protections adopted by electric corporations and utilities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The New York State public service commission shall under- 2 take an immediate study of consumer protections adopted by electric 3 corporations and municipalities ("utilities") pursuant to article 2 of 4 the public service law and provide a report to the governor, the tempo- 5 rary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of 6 the senate committee on energy and telecommunications and the chair of 7 the assembly committee on energy. Such report shall include an analysis 8 of the effectiveness of current utility procedures for notifying custom- 9 ers in arrears on utility charges of how they may avoid termination of 10 electric, gas or steam service, including the availability of deferred 11 payment agreements. In addition, such report shall review the adequacy 12 of the commission's assistance to customers negotiating deferred payment 13 agreements with utilities in lieu of disconnection of service including 14 the number of deferred payment plans by utility service territory; the 15 number of incidences, if any, in which utilities have required more than 16 the lawfully allowed level of down payments or deferred payments from 17 customers seeking to connect service or avoid disconnection; the effec- 18 tiveness and availability of the commission's shutoff hotline in receiv- 19 ing calls from customers facing termination of electric, gas and steam 20 service; the call volume to such hotline in each utility service terri- 21 tory; the monthly number of electric and natural gas customers who 22 previously received utility bill assistance from the Home Energy Assist- 23 ance Program whose service was terminated for bill collection purposes 24 in each utility service area in the previous calendar year, provided 25 further that the commission shall require each utility provide such EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05001-01-5 
 A. 2186 2 1 information while maintaining customer confidentiality; and any proposed 2 legislative remedies necessary to increase customer awareness of such 3 hotline. The report shall be made available to the public on the commis- 4 sion's website. 5 § 2. The New York State public service commission shall seek comments 6 from utilities, municipalities, consumer advocates and the public and 7 may include in the report recommendations to improve existing consumer 8 protection policies. 9 § 3. If the study pursuant to section one of this act is not received 10 by November 15, 2026, the commission shall institute a moratorium 11 preventing utility corporations from terminating electric, gas or steam 12 service to any residential customer in arrears with whom it has entered 13 into an agreement for the provision of such services. The moratorium 14 shall last for the period beginning December 1, 2026 and ending on March 15 31, 2027. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent a utility 16 corporation from charging customers for electric, gas or steam service 17 or from offering a deferred payment agreement for the period beginning 18 December 1, 2026 and ending on March 31, 2027. 19 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.