New York S 9080: Enacts the "protect our most vulnerable act"

Bill Text

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S09080 Summary:

BILL NOS09080 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORPARKER

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §32, add §§34-a & 89-q, Pub Serv L

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Enacts the "protect our most vulnerable act" under which utility companies and municipalities are prohibited from discontinuing electric, gas, and water services to elderly customers making good faith payments between five and fifteen percent of their monthly incomes.

Go to top S09080 Actions:

BILL NOS09080 

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01/29/2026REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Go to topS09080 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09080 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS09080 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9080

 IN SENATE

 January 29, 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
 "protect our most vulnerable 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 "protect our most vulnerable act".
 3 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of section 32 of the public
 4 service law, as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to
 5 read as follows:
 6 (b) Customers who are elderly, blind, or disabled. The commission
 7 shall provide special procedures to be followed by a utility or munici-
 8 pality with respect to the termination or restoration of service to a
 9 residence where the customer is known to or identified to the utility to
 10 be blind, disabled, or sixty-two years of age or older; provided that
 11 all the remaining residents of the household are sixty-two years of age
 12 or older, eighteen years of age or under, or blind or disabled. The
 13 commission shall afford reasonable protections to elderly, blind or
 14 disabled customers, including a requirement that the utility corporation
 15 or municipality make a diligent effort to contact by telephone or in
 16 person an adult resident at the customer's premises at least seventy-two
 17 hours prior to termination of service. The commission shall also estab-
 18 lish reasonable procedures for identifying customers eligible for the
 19 protections of this section and section thirty-four-a of this article.
 20 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 34-a to
 21 read as follows:
 22 § 34-a. Discontinuance of residential utility service to elderly
 23 customers. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no utility
 24 corporation or municipality shall discontinue gas or electric service to
 25 an elderly customer located anywhere in this state provided that such
 26 customer is making good-faith payments between five and fifteen percent

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14421-01-6

 S. 9080 2

 1 of their monthly income toward their outstanding bills for rendered
 2 services.
 3 2. A utility corporation or municipality shall not discontinue gas or
 4 electric service to an elderly customer for nonpayment of rendered
 5 services unless such corporation or municipality provides clear and
 6 documented evidence in a process established by the commission that such
 7 customer failed to make payments in accordance with subdivision one of
 8 this section. Such evidence shall include documentation that the elderly
 9 customer did not attempt to pay their outstanding bills for rendered
 10 services and that the obligations owed by the utility corporation or
 11 municipality to provide payment plans and referrals to assistance
 12 programs have been satisfied.
 13 3. A utility corporation or municipality shall not prevent or inter-
 14 fere with an elderly customer's ability to make payments in accordance
 15 with subdivision one of this section by denying access to accepted
 16 payment methods, returning or failing to process checks or money orders,
 17 or imposing other administrative barriers.
 18 4. A utility corporation or municipality found to engage in misconduct
 19 under this section sh