New York S 5126: Relates to complaint procedures and retaining billing records for a certain period of time

Bill Text

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 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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S05126 Summary:

BILL NOS05126 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORCOMRIE

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COSPNSRCLEARE

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §§43, 71, 84 & 89-i, Pub Serv L

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Ensures that residential gas, electric and steam service customers will receive a written determination regarding rate related complaints explaining the reasoning for the decision; requires that decisions are made by the public service commission within 90 days of receiving the complaint; requires utility corporations to retain customer billing statements dating back at least eight years.

Go to top S05126 Actions:

BILL NOS05126 

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02/19/2025REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

01/07/2026REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Go to topS05126 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS05126 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS05126 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5126

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 19, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed,
 and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Tele-
 communications

 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to complaint proce-
 dures and retaining billing records for a certain period of time

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

 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 43 of the public service
 2 law, subdivision 2 as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981 and
 3 subdivision 3 as added by chapter 686 of the laws of 2002, are amended
 4 and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:
 5 2. The commission shall maintain regulations for complaint handling
 6 procedures including complaints with respect to the negotiation of a
 7 deferred payment agreement which shall include, at a minimum: (a)
 8 provision for investigation and informal review and for appeal to the
 9 commission in its discretion; (b) that the burden of proof in all
 10 proceedings shall be on the utility corporation or municipality, except
 11 as otherwise provided by the commission for good cause; and (c)
 12 provision for parties to receive a written determination of any
 13 complaint, [upon request,] in plain and simple English, which determi-
 14 nation shall set forth the relevant facts established, the reasons for
 15 the determination, what actions must be taken and what further proce-
 16 dures are available to a complainant.
 17 3. The commission shall [use its best efforts to] complete its inves-
 18 tigation and review and to issue, within ninety days, its final written
 19 determination of any appeal to it pursuant to this section.
 20 4. Each utility corporation subject to this article shall retain bill-
 21 ing records for a period of eight years for all customers.
 22 § 2. Section 89-i of the public service law, as amended by section 50
 23 of part A of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as
 24 follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD06077-01-5

 S. 5126 2

 1 § 89-i. Complaints as to price of water; investigation by commission;
 2 forms of complaints. 1. Upon the complaint in writing of the mayor of a
 3 city, the trustees of a village or the town board of a town in which a
 4 person or corporation is authorized to supply or distribute water for
 5 domestic, commercial or public uses, or upon the complaint in writing of
 6 not less than twenty-five customers or purchasers of such water in such
 7 municipality or upon complaint of a water-works corporation supplying
 8 such water, as to the rates, charges or classifications of service for
 9 water sold and delivered in such municipality, or upon the complaint in
 10 writing of the department of state, or as to the methods employed in
 11 furnishing such service, the commission shall investigate as to the
 12 cause of such complaint. When such complaint is made, the commission
 13 may, by its agents, examiners and inspectors, inspect the works, system,
 14 plant, devices, appliances and methods used by such water-works corpo-
 15 ration in supplying and distributing such water, and may examine or
 16 cause to be examined