New York S 4532: Directs public service commission to require electric and steam corporations to provide rate reductions or refunds for inadequate or interrupted service

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S04532 Summary:

BILL NOS04532 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A07954

&nbsp

SPONSORGIANARIS

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §§66 & 80, Pub Serv L

&nbsp

Directs the public service commission to require electric and steam corporations to provide rate reductions or refunds for inadequate or interrupted service; requires electric corporations to reimburse ratepayers for damages to and losses of property and business caused by power outages in certain instances.

Go to top S04532 Actions:

BILL NOS04532 

&nbsp

02/06/2025REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

01/07/2026REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Go to topS04532 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS04532 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS04532 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4532

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 6, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. GIANARIS -- 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 the power of the
 public service commission to require refunds of or reductions in rates
 for inadequate or interrupted electric or steam service

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Subdivision 20 of section 66 of the public service law, as
 2 added by chapter 394 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
 3 20. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regu-
 4 lation, the commission shall have the power to provide for the refund of
 5 any revenues received by any gas or electric corporation which cause the
 6 corporation to have revenues in the aggregate in excess of its author-
 7 ized rate of return for a period of twelve months. The commission may
 8 initiate a proceeding with respect to such a refund after the conclusion
 9 of any such twelve month period.
 10 (b) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation,
 11 the commission shall impose prompt, meaningful rate refunds or
 12 reductions in instances where electric corporations fail to meet objec-
 13 tively measured service quality standards. Such refunds or reductions
 14 shall at a minimum equal five percent of the amount billed to a customer
 15 for the provision of electric service for a period of twelve months or
 16 such longer period as the commission may prescribe; provided, however,
 17 that the commission may prescribe a schedule setting forth both minimum
 18 and maximum amounts that a customer may receive in refunds or
 19 reductions.
 20 (c) In addition to the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
 21 subdivision, in every instance where electric service is interrupted due
 22 to a local distribution system failure lasting for twelve hours or more
 23 within a twenty-four hour period, the commission shall require an elec-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01986-01-5

 S. 4532 2

 1 tric corporation that distributes electricity in a city of one million
 2 or more to (1) reimburse customers for damages to or losses of property
 3 including, but not limited to perishable food items and medications,
 4 electrical equipment, computer equipment, air conditioning equipment,
 5 and other electronic equipment and instruments used by commercial estab-
 6 lishments or residences; and (2) provide appropriate compensation to
 7 those commercial customers who have lost business as a result of the
 8 service interruption. Such compensation shall be based upon the average
 9 revenues earned by the business in similar time periods, or, for a new
 10 business, the average revenues earned by similar businesses in similar
 11 time periods. The commission may prescribe reasonable limits on the
 12 amount of reimbursement and compensation available to a customer;
 13 provided that such amounts shall not be less than five hundred dollars
 14 for losses of food and medications, one thousand dollars for damages to
 15 electrical equipment and instruments, and ten thousand dollars for lost
 16 business. Additional reimbursement and compensation in accordance wit