NY State Senate Bill 2015-S1949

Senate Bill S1949

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Directs the public service commission to study and eliminate utility billing messages that are no longer relevant or confusing

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 15, 2015	referred to energy and telecommunications

2015-S1949 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §5, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in 2013-2014 Legislative Session:: S5696

2015-S1949 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the public service commission to study and eliminate utility billing messages that are no longer relevant or confusing; requires the public service commission to develop recommendations for utility bills that are standardized, uniform and easy to understand.

2015-S1949 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S1949

TITLE OF BILL:

An act to direct the public service commission to study and report on
streamlining orders and actions associated with bills for residential
electric, gas, telephone and water customers; and to amend the public
service law, in relation to directing the public service commission to
develop recommendations for standardized, uniform and easy to
understand utility bills

PURPOSE:

This legislation directs the Public Service Commission to streamline
orders and actions associated with bills for residential electric,
gas, telephone and water customers, and develop recommendations for
standardized, uniform and easy to understand utility bills.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Directs the public service commission to study the past
orders and actions related to billing messages and determine which
messages are no longer relevant. The study shall result in a report
with details the related orders and commission actions that are no
longer necessary and hinder companies from providing streamline
consumer bills.

Section 2: Amends Section 5 of the Public Service Law by adding a
subdivision that requires the commission to develop and publish
recommendations for utility service providers to improve the billing
system by generating bills that are standardized, uniform and easy to
understand.

Section 3: Effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

Telephone and utility bills are often confusing, especially for the
elderly and those with disabilities. By studying and changing the
required billing messages that were developed prior to industry
competition, it will likely result in much less confusing bills for
residential customers of electric, gas, telephone and water companies.
Simplifying utility service providers billing system will likely lead
to less confusion and make it much easier to understand, giving
consumers an easier time comparing bills between companies.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.5696A of 2014: Referred to Energy and Telecommunications

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect 90 days after it becomes law.

2015-S1949 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1949

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 15, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  LIBOUS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
  cations

AN  ACT  to  direct the public service commission to study and report on
  streamlining orders and actions associated with bills for  residential
  electric,  gas, telephone and water customers; and to amend the public
  service law, in relation to directing the public service commission to
  develop recommendations for standardized, uniform and easy  to  under-
  stand utility bills

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. (a) The public service commission is directed to study  the
past  orders  and  actions  related  to  matters  which required billing
messages that were developed prior to industry competition and that  may
be  creating confusing bills for residential customers of electric, gas,
telephone and water companies. Specifically, such study shall review the
past commission orders and actions and determine which bill messages are
no longer  relevant  and  should  be  removed  because  the  information
required  to be included in the consumer bills is no longer relevant and
may be largely ignored by most consumers.  In  such  cases,  the  public
service  commission  shall  no  longer  require  this  information to be
included in customer bills, but can make such information available  via
the  utility company's public website in lieu of requiring this informa-
tion in consumer bills. In completing this  study,  the  public  service
commission shall reduce bill messages that are no longer needed.
  (b)  This  study  shall  result in a report, which details all billing
related orders and commission actions that are no longer  necessary  and
can  hinder  companies  from  providing  streamlined consumer bills. The
study and report shall be filed, on or before December  31,  2016,  with
the governor, the director of the division of budget, the speaker of the
assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the chair of the assem-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD07234-01-5

S. 1949                             2

bly  way  and means committee, the chair of the senate finance committee
and the chairs of  the  assembly  standing  committee  on  corporations,
authorities and commissions and the senate energy and telecommunications
committee.  Such study and report shall also be posted on the website of
the public service commission by December 31, 2016 and shall be deemed a
public document.
  S 2. Section 5 of the public service law is amended by  adding  a  new
subdivision 7 to read as follows:
  7.  THE  COMMISSION  SHALL  DEVELOP  AND  PUBLISH  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
PROVIDERS OF ELECTRIC, GAS, STEAM, TELEPHONE AND WATER SERVICES FOR  THE
ESTABLISHMENT  OF  AN  IMPROVED  BILLING  SYSTEM  FOR  EACH TYPE OF SUCH
SERVICE PROVIDERS AND FOR BILLS THAT ARE STANDARDIZED, UNIFORM AND  EASY
TO UNDERSTAND.
  S  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law.

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