S 8735: Enacts the "billing transparency act"; provides that every utility corporation, energy services corporation and municipality shall provide an itemized breakdown of customers' bills each month; provides that electric utility corporations, energy services companies and municipalities shall maintain a dedicated and easily accessible customer website that explains customer charges.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8735  IN SENATE January 7, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni- cations AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to enacting the "billing transparency act" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "billing transparency act". 3 § 2. Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding a new 4 subdivision 8 to read as follows: 5 8. (a) Every electric utility corporation, energy services company and 6 municipality shall provide on each customer's monthly bill an itemized 7 breakdown that includes, at a minimum: 8 (i) the portion of the bill attributable to infrastructure costs, 9 including transmission, distribution, and maintenance; and 10 (ii) the portion of the bill attributable to any credits, surcharges, 11 assessments, taxes or adjustments, including solar or outage credits. 12 (b) The commission shall promulgate regulations establishing uniform 13 standards for the format and presentation of such itemized breakdowns to 14 ensure clarity and consistency across utilities. 15 (c) Every electric utility corporation, energy services company and 16 municipality shall maintain a dedicated and easily accessible customer 17 website that explains each type of charge in plain, simple and digest- 18 ible language. Such website shall conform to the most current version of 19 the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, specifically level AA, adopted 20 by the World Wide Web Consortium for accessibility, or any successor 21 standards. Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and 22 municipalities shall include additional explanatory notes or resources 23 to assist customers in understanding each category of charges. 24 (d) (i) Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and 25 municipalities shall submit quarterly reports to the commission summa- 26 rizing their billing practices, updates to website content, customer EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14337-01-6 
 S. 8735 2 1 complaints related to bill clarity, and actions taken to assist custom- 2 ers in understanding their charges. 3 (ii) The commission may audit utility bills, websites, and customer 4 service practices to ensure compliance with this subdivision. Audits may 5 include random sampling of bills, reviews of online content, and verifi- 6 cation of procedures used to assist customers in understanding their 7 statements. Electric utility corporations, energy services companies and 8 municipalities found in violation of this subdivision shall submit a 9 corrective action plan within a timeframe specified by the commission 10 and shall be subject to ongoing oversight until compliance is achieved. 11 (iii) The commission shall establish, by regulation, procedures and 12 penalties for the enforcement of this subdivision. 13 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 14 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 15 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 16 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 17 completed on or before such effective date.