A 5786: Prohibits termination of electricity or heat service during forecasts of 85 degrees or more than or thirty-two degrees or below.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5786 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 20, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to prohibiting termination of residential utility service during forecasts of extreme temperature The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 32 of the public 2 service law, as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 (c) Special procedures for cold weather periods. [(i) The commission 5 shall establish procedures to be followed by a utility or municipality 6 supplying heat related service in cold weather periods. Such procedures 7 shall be designed to identify and assist, prior to termination of 8 service, those residents who may suffer serious impairment to health or 9 safety as a result of any such termination. The commission shall estab- 10 lish the applicable cold weather periods; specify criteria for identify- 11 ing residents who are likely to suffer serious impairments, and require 12 that such service not be terminated unless a representative of the util- 13 ity or municipality makes a diligent effort to contact by telephone or 14 in person an adult resident of the customer's premises at least seven- 15 ty-two hours prior to termination, makes a personal visit at the time of 16 termination and provides the customer with information regarding the 17 protections available under this article. The commission shall provide 18 for the manner in which such contacts and personal visits are made. 19 (ii)] The commission shall [also] require a utility or municipality 20 supplying service to continue service to customers where a serious 21 impairment to health or safety is likely to result from termination of 22 service and the person supplied is unable because of mental or physical 23 problems to manage [his or her] their own resources or to protect 24 [himself or herself] themself from neglect or hazardous situations with- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00254-01-5 
 A. 5786 2 1 out the assistance of others. Doubts shall be resolved in favor of 2 continued service. Continuations of service shall be for a period of 3 time to be established by the commission. The commission shall consult 4 with the department of social services and the state office for the 5 aging in implementing the provisions of this paragraph. 6 § 2. Section 32 of the public service law is amended by adding a new 7 subdivision 3-a to read as follows: 8 3-a. (a) For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "forecast of 9 extreme temperature" means a national weather service forecast of nine- 10 ty-five degrees Fahrenheit or above on the national weather service heat 11 index (apparent temperature) during any time of day or night or thirty- 12 two degrees Fahrenheit or below during any time of day or night. 13 (b) A utility or municipality supplying residential heat or electric- 14 ity shall not terminate such heat or electricity the day of a forecast 15 of extreme temperature, or if such forecast of extreme temperature 16 precedes a holiday or weekend day, on any day during such holiday or 17 weekend day. 18 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.