S 8535: Establishes reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8535 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, in relation to the establishment of reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service to furloughed or non-pay federal workers; 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. Reduced residential rates for electric and natural gas service 4 to furloughed or non-pay federal customers. 1. The commission shall 5 require electric and natural gas corporations to establish programs of 6 rate reduction and other assistance to residential electric and natural 7 gas customers who have been either furloughed or designated non-pay 8 federal employees due to a period of a lapse in discretionary appropri- 9 ations by the federal government, the revenue impact of which shall not 10 be borne solely by any single class of customer. The commission shall 11 ensure appropriate levels of rate reduction for such electric and 12 natural gas customers to mitigate hardship. In establishing the appro- 13 priate percentage reduction the commission shall ensure to the extent 14 feasible that ratepayers who have been furloughed or designated non-pay 15 federal employees are not jeopardized or overburdened by rates for elec- 16 tric and natural gas service. 17 2. The commission shall establish customer income and categorical 18 eligibility standards for reduced rates, which shall include, without 19 limitation, customers providing documentation demonstrating that they 20 have been furloughed or designated non-pay as a result of a period of a 21 lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government. 22 3. The commission shall require providers of electric and natural gas 23 service to provide information and application forms for reduced rates EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13929-01-5 
 S. 8535 2 1 to eligible customers on their websites, at their offices, and by other 2 means, and to provide information regarding the availability and eligi- 3 bility standards for reduced rates to residential customers at the time 4 of service initiation, in bill inserts, in communications with customers 5 in arrears, and by other means required or approved by the commission. 6 4. The commission shall require electric and natural gas corporations 7 to establish reduced rates pursuant to this section to be effective no 8 later than thirty days after the effective date of this section, and to 9 file periodic reports regarding the number of eligible customers receiv- 10 ing reduced rates, utility efforts to provide reduced residential rates 11 to all customers eligible for them, and other information deemed neces- 12 sary or appropriate by the commission for the efficient administration 13 of the reduced rates. 14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 15 deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law.