A 4104: Relates to establishing discount programs for veterans; provides that utilities, waterworks corporations, telephone corporations and cable television companies shall create discount programs that provide a 10 percent discount to veterans; defines terms.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4104 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 31, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM, SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to establishing discount programs for veterans 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 66-x to read as follows: 3 § 66-x. Utility discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 4 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 5 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality to establish a 6 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 7 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 8 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on utility bills. The 9 fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and shall 10 not be added to bills rendered by a gas corporation, electric corpo- 11 ration or municipality to customers. 12 (b) A gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality which 13 offers such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the avail- 14 ability and amount of such discount on the website of such gas corpo- 15 ration, electric corporation or municipality. The availability and 16 amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the 17 accessibility page of the website of such gas corporation, electric 18 corporation or municipality. 19 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 20 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named utility service account- 21 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 22 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 23 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 24 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 25 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03278-01-5 
 A. 4104 2 1 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 2 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 3 (b) A primary named utility service accountholder shall provide the 4 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality an authenticat- 5 ed copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be eligible for such 6 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 7 sion. 8 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to 9 read as follows: 10 § 89-q. Water discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 11 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require 12 waterworks corporations and municipal water systems to establish a 13 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 14 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 15 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on water utility bills. 16 The fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and 17 shall not be added to bills rendered by a waterworks corporation or 18 municipal water system to customers. 19 (b) A waterworks corporation or municipal water system which offers 20 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 21 amount of such discount on the website of such waterworks corporation or 22 municipal water system. The availability and amount of such discount 23 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 24 website of such waterworks corporation or municipal water system. 25 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 26 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named waterworks or municipal 27 water system service accountholder; (ii) has had a total household 28 income of less than fifty thousand dollars for the most recent two 29 consecutive income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri- 30 fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) served in and 31 who received any honorable or general discharge from the United States 32 army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard and/or the reserves 33 thereof, and/or the army national guard, air national guard, New York 34 guard or New York naval militia. 35 (b) A primary named waterworks or municipal water system service 36 accountholder shall provide the waterworks corporation or municipal 37 water system an authenticated copy of such accountholder's discharge 38 papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under 39 paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 40 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to 41 read as follows: 42 § 91-b. Telephone discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 43 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 44 telephone corporation to establish a discount program for veterans no 45 later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 46 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 47 percent discount on telephone bills. The fiscal impact of such program 48 shall not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered 49 by a telephone corporation to customers. 50 (b) A telephone corporation which offers such discount program shall 51 conspicuously advertise the availability and amount of such discount on 52 the website of such telephone corporation. The availability and amount 53 of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessi- 54 bility page of the website of such telephone corporation. 55 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 56 Connectivity program, any successor federal program or any successor 
 A. 4104 3 1 state program established by the commission that is substantially simi- 2 lar in eligibility and participation criteria to the federal govern- 3 ment's affordable connectivity program shall satisfy the telephone 4 corporation's or cable television company's obligation to establish a 5 discount program under paragraph (a) of this subdivision, unless the 6 commission deems it insufficient to satisfy such requirements. The 7 telephone corporation or cable television company shall not be obligated 8 to establish a discount program under paragraph (a) of this subdivision 9 if the commission does not establish a successor state program. 10 (d) A telephone corporation or cable television company shall not be 11 obligated to establish a discount program under paragraph (a) of this 12 subdivision if the commission deems a current program already in place 13 through such telephone corporation or cable television company satisfies 14 the criteria established under this subdivision. 15 (e) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 16 sion, a telephone corporation may require proof of eligibility from the 17 primary named telephone service accountholder for the calendar year in 18 which the discount is sought. 19 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 20 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named telephone service 21 accountholder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty 22 thousand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 23 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 24 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 25 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine 26 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 27 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 28 (b) A primary named telephone service accountholder shall provide the 29 telephone corporation an authenticated copy of such accountholder's 30 discharge papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligi- 31 bility under paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 32 § 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d 33 to read as follows: 34 § 224-d. Cable discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 35 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 36 telephone corporation, as defined in subdivision seventeen of section 37 two of this chapter, and a cable television company, as defined in 38 section two hundred twelve of this article, that provides cable service 39 to customers in New York, to establish a discount program for veterans 40 no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 41 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 42 percent discount on cable bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall 43 not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by a 44 telephone corporation or cable television company to customers. 45 (b) A telephone corporation or cable television company which offers 46 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 47 amount of such discount on the website of such telephone corporation or 48 cable television company. The availability and amount of such discount 49 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 50 website of such telephone corporation or cable television company. 51 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 52 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem 53 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele- 54 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para- 55 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi- 56 cient to satisfy such requirements. 
 A. 4104 4 1 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 2 sion, a telephone corporation or cable television company may require 3 proof of eligibility from the primary named cable service accountholder 4 for the calendar year in which the discount is sought. 5 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 6 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named cable service account- 7 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 8 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 9 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 10 tion and finance; and (iii) received any honorable or general discharge 11 from the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard 12 and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national guard, air 13 national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 14 (b) A primary named cable service accountholder shall provide the 15 telephone corporation or the cable television company an authenticated 16 copy of such accountholder's discharge papers to be eligible for such 17 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 18 sion. 19 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 20 it shall have become a law.