New York A 5601: Relates to establishing discount programs for low-income senior citizens and individuals with a disability

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A05601 Summary:

BILL NOA05601 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S01326

&nbsp

SPONSORLucas

&nbsp

COSPNSRConrad

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §§66-x, 89-q, 91-b & 224-d, Pub Serv L

&nbsp

Relates to establishing discount programs for low-income senior citizens and individuals with a disability; provides that utilities, waterworks corporations, telephone corporations and cable television companies shall create discount programs that provide a 10 percent discount to low-income senior citizens and individuals with a disability; defines terms.

Go to top A05601 Actions:

BILL NOA05601 

&nbsp

02/18/2025referred to energy

01/07/2026referred to energy

Go to topA05601 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA05601 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA05601 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5601

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 18, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. LUCAS -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Energy

 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to establishing
 discount programs for low-income senior citizens and individuals with
 a disability

 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. Utility discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other
 4 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a
 5 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality to establish a
 6 discount program for low-income senior citizens and individuals with a
 7 disability no later than ninety days after the effective date of this
 8 section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to low-income senior
 9 citizens and individuals with a disability in the form of a ten percent
 10 discount on utility bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall not
 11 be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by a gas
 12 corporation, electric corporation or municipality to customers.
 13 (b) A gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality which
 14 offers such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the avail-
 15 ability and amount of such discount on the website of such gas corpo-
 16 ration, electric corporation or municipality. The availability and
 17 amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the
 18 accessibility page of the website of such gas corporation, electric
 19 corporation or municipality.
 20 2. For the purposes of this section:
 21 (a) "individuals with a disability" shall mean a primary named utility
 22 service, water service, or telephone service accountholder (i) with a
 23 disability, as defined in subdivision twenty-one of section two hundred
 24 ninety-two of the executive law; and (ii) who has had a total household

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD03282-01-5

 A. 5601 2

 1 income of less than fifty thousand dollars for the most recent two
 2 consecutive income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri-
 3 fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) who is
 4 currently receiving (A) social security disability insurance (SSDI), (B)
 5 supplemental security income (SSI) benefits under the federal social
 6 security act, (C) disability pension or disability compensation benefits
 7 provided by the United States department of veterans affairs, (D) disa-
 8 bility pension or disability compensation benefits provided by the
 9 United States Postal Service, or (E) those previously eligible by virtue
 10 of receiving disability benefits under the supplemental security income
 11 program or the social security disability program and currently receiv-
 12 ing medical assistance benefits based on determination of disability as
 13 provided in section three hundred sixty-six of the social services law;
 14 and
 15 (b) "low-income senior citizen" shall mean a primary named utility
 16 service, water service, or telephone service accountholder who (i) is at
 17 least sixty-five years of age; and (ii) either (A) has had a total
 18 household income of less than fifty t