A 9269: Grants the governor power to effectuate emergency disconnections of utilities where certain laws have been violated.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9269 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY November 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. R. CARROLL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to granting the governor power to effectuate emergency disconnections of utilities 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. Emergency disconnections; governor's authority. 1. A gas 4 corporation, electric corporation, or municipality in ownership or 5 control of the meters, pipes, fittings, wires, and other apparatus asso- 6 ciated with the establishment of service to a building or unit shall, 7 upon the order of the governor, disconnect service to that building or 8 unit without the need for prior notice when all the following require- 9 ments are fulfilled: 10 (a) Any of the following laws or regulations are violated by the occu- 11 pants of the building or unit: 12 (i) Articles seventeen, nineteen, and twenty-seven of the environ- 13 mental conservation law and regulations made pursuant thereto; 14 (ii) Sections twenty-seven and twenty-seven-a and article seventeen of 15 the labor law and regulations made pursuant thereto; 16 (iii) The uniform fire and building code; or 17 (iv) Local laws and regulations made pursuant to subdivisions twelve, 18 thirteen, twenty-four, and twenty-five of section twenty of the general 19 city law, sections one hundred thirty and two hundred sixty-one of the 20 town law, sections 7-700 and 10-1002 of the village law, or subparagraph 21 twelve of paragraph a of subdivision one of section ten of the municipal 22 home rule law; 23 (b) An emergency arising out of the violation of the law or regulation 24 threatens the health or safety of a person or the surrounding area; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13995-02-5 
 A. 9269 2 1 (c) The governor determines, in their unreviewable discretion that the 2 disconnection of service will, contribute to resolving the emergency. 3 2. Service shall be reconnected when the governor determines that the 4 emergency has ended. 5 3. The governor shall submit a report within seventy-two hours of 6 issuing an emergency disconnection order pursuant to this section to the 7 speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate, which 8 shall include information on the laws violated by the occupants of the 9 building or unit, the nature of the emergency that arises out of such 10 violation, and the reasons the governor believes the disconnection of 11 service will contribute to resolving the emergency. The contents of the 12 report shall be made available to the public within seventy-two hours of 13 receipt, unless the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president 14 of the senate determine that release of the report would impede the 15 resolution of the emergency. 16 4. The governor shall submit a report on or before January thirty- 17 first of each year to the legislature, which shall include information 18 detailing the total number of emergency disconnections effectuated under 19 this section, the reasons for each emergency disconnection, and the 20 result of each disconnection. This report shall be promptly published by 21 the legislature once received. 22 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to 23 read as follows: 24 § 89-q. Emergency disconnections; governor's authority. 1. A water- 25 works company or municipality shall, upon the order of the governor, 26 disconnect service to a building or unit without the need for prior 27 notice when all the following requirements are fulfilled: 28 (a) Any of the following laws or regulations are violated by the occu- 29 pants of the building or unit: 30 (i) Articles seventeen, nineteen, and twenty-seven of the environ- 31 mental conservation law and regulations made pursuant thereto; 32 (ii) Sections twenty-seven and twenty-seven-a and article seventeen of 33 the labor law and regulations made pursuant thereto; 34 (iii) The uniform fire and building code; or 35 (iv) Local laws and regulations made pursuant to subdivisions twelve, 36 thirteen, twenty-four, and twenty-five of section twenty of the general 37 city law, sections one hundred thirty and two hundred sixty-one of the 38 town law, sections 7-700 and 10-1002 of the village law, or subparagraph 39 twelve of paragraph a of subdivision one of section ten of the municipal 40 home rule law; 41 (b) An emergency arising out of the violation of the law or regulation 42 threatens the health or safety of a person or the surrounding area; and 43 (c) The disconnection of service will, in the judgment of the gover- 44 nor, contribute to resolving the emergency. 45 2. Service shall be reconnected when the governor determines that the 46 emergency has ended. 47 3. The governor shall submit a report within seventy-two hours of 48 issuing an emergency disconnection order pursuant to this section to the 49 speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate, which 50 shall include information on the laws violated by the occupants of the 51 building or unit, the nature of the emergency that arises out of such 52 violation, and the reasons the governor believes the disconnection of 53 service will contribute to resolving the emergency. The contents of the 54 report shall be made available to the public within seventy-two hours of 55 receipt, unless the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president 
 A. 9269 3 1 of the senate determine that release of the report would impede the 2 resolution of the emergency. 3 4. The governor shall submit a report on or before January thirty- 4 first of each year to the legislature, which shall include information 5 detailing the total number of emergency disconnections effectuated under 6 this section, the reasons for each emergency disconnection, and the 7 result of each disconnection. This report shall be promptly published by 8 the legislature once received. 9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.