S 8534: Relates to establishing the furloughed or non-pay federal workers revolving loan program and fund; provides zero percent interest loans to residential electric and natural gas customers who have been either furloughed or designated non-pay federal employees due to a period of a lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government in order to assist such customers in paying their electric and gas bills.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8534 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE October 20, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the public service law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing the furloughed or non-pay federal workers revolving loan program and fund; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof 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. Furloughed or non-pay federal workers loan program. 1. The 4 commission shall create a furloughed or non-pay federal workers revolv- 5 ing loan program in order to provide zero percent interest loans to 6 residential electric and natural gas customers who have been either 7 furloughed or designated non-pay federal employees due to a period of a 8 lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government in order 9 to assist such customers in paying their electric and gas bills. 10 2. (a) The commission may make, upon application duly made, up to the 11 amounts available by appropriation, loans for the payment of electric 12 and gas bills by eligible customers. 13 (b) The commission shall have the power to make such rules and regu- 14 lations as may be necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of 15 this section. 16 3. (a) Application for loans may be made by residential electric and 17 natural gas customers who have been either furloughed or designated 18 non-pay federal employees due to a period of a lapse in discretionary 19 appropriations by the federal government. 20 (b) Every application shall be in a form acceptable to the commission 21 and shall require documentation demonstrating financial need and that 22 the applicant has been furloughed or designated non-pay as a result of a EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13928-01-5 
 S. 8534 2 1 period of a lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal govern- 2 ment. 3 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-tt to 4 read as follows: 5 § 99-tt. Furloughed or non-pay federal workers revolving loan fund. 1. 6 There is hereby established in the joint custody of the comptroller and 7 the public service commission a fund to be known as the "furloughed or 8 non-pay federal worker revolving loan fund". Such fund shall consist of 9 moneys made available pursuant to appropriation and any other sources in 10 order to provide zero percent interest loans to residential electric and 11 natural gas customers who have been either furloughed or designated 12 non-pay federal employees pursuant to section sixty-six-x of the public 13 service law. 14 2. The fund shall consist of all moneys appropriated for its purpose, 15 all moneys transferred to such fund pursuant to law, and all moneys 16 required by this section or any other law to be paid into or credited to 17 this fund, including all moneys received by the fund or donated to it, 18 payments of principal on loans made from the fund, and any interest 19 earnings which may accrue from the investment or reinvestment of moneys 20 from the fund. 21 3. Moneys of the fund, when allocated, shall be available to the 22 public service commission to make loans as provided in section sixty- 23 six-x of the public service law. Up to five percent of the moneys of the 24 fund may be used to pay the expenses, including personal service and 25 maintenance and operation, in connection with the administration of such 26 loans. 27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 28 deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law.