A 5328: Prohibits electric, gas, telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet, energy, water services or any other utility providers from imposing additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for non-use or any other charges to customers living at their primary residence who are over sixty-five years of age or who have a developmental disability.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5328 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BROOK-KRASNY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy AN ACT to amend the public service law and the general business law, in relation to prohibiting utility companies from imposing certain addi- tional fees to customers at their primary residence who are over sixty-five years of age or who have a developmental disability The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 65 of the public service law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 17 to read as follows: 3 17. No company that provides electric, gas or any other utility shall 4 impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for 5 non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or 6 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen- 7 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, and when the premises 8 receiving service is a primary residence. 9 § 2. Section 91 of the public service law is amended by adding a new 10 subdivision 15 to read as follows: 11 15. No company that provides telephone or telegraph services shall 12 impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees for 13 non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or 14 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen- 15 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises 16 receiving service is a primary residence. 17 § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 89-b of the public service law, as added 18 by chapter 715 of the laws of 1931, is amended to read as follows: 19 2. No water-works corporation shall directly or indirectly, by any 20 special rate, rebate, drawback or other device or method, charge, 21 demand, collect or receive from any person or corporation a greater or 22 less compensation for water, or for equipment or for any service 23 rendered or to be rendered or in connection therewith, except as author- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09181-01-5 
 A. 5328 2 1 ized in this article, than it charges, demands, collects or receives 2 from any other person or corporation for doing a like and contemporane- 3 ous service with respect thereto under the same or substantially similar 4 circumstances or conditions. Further, no water-works corporation shall 5 impose additional charges to customers over the age of sixty-five or 6 those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision twen- 7 ty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises 8 receiving service is a primary residence. 9 § 4. Section 224-b of the public service law is amended by adding a 10 new subdivision 3 to read as follows: 11 3. No cable television company with at least one thousand subscribers 12 shall impose additional fees related to administrative surcharges, fees 13 for non-use and any other charges to customers over the age of sixty- 14 five or those with a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision 15 twenty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law, when the premises 16 receiving service is a primary residence. 17 § 5. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 399-zzzz of the general 18 business law, as amended by chapter 246 of the laws of 2019, is amended 19 to read as follows: 20 a. no provider of telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet, 21 energy, or water services shall impose a fee for termination or early 22 cancellation of a service contract in the event the customer has 23 deceased before the end of such contract, or, when the premises receiv- 24 ing any such service is a primary residence and the customer is over the 25 age of sixty-five or has a developmental disability, as defined in 26 subdivision twenty-two of section 1.03 of the mental hygiene law; and 27 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.