BILL NUMBER: S172
SPONSOR: GIANARIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to penalties for the
failure of gas and electric corporations to file or correct an annual
report
 
PURPOSE:
This bill will help ensure compliance with reporting requirements in the
Public Service Law by scaling the penalties for failure to file or
correct an annual report to the size of a regulated entity.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 6 of section 66 of the public service law,
as amended by chapter 784 of the laws of 1923 to increase the penalties
imposed upon gas and electric utilities for failure to file or correct
an annual report with the public service commission.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
 
EXISTING LAW:
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JUSTIFICATION:
A Task Force convened in response to a massive power outage in western
Queens in 2006 found that in many cases the sanctions imposed by the PSC
are neither timely nor meaningful. While New York's Public Service
Commission is authorized to sanction utility providers for violating
deadlines or fail to correct their annual reports are not meaningful or
imposed in a timely fashion. A $100 penalty is simply a minor cost of
doing business to a multi-billion-dollar utility provider. The amounts
that a major utility could be penalized for being one day, or even one
year, late in meeting a deadline would be well beneath its notice. To
aggressively protect consumers, the PSC needs to have sufficient tools
with which to do so. This bill would bring the penalties in line with
the realities of today's energy markets.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022: Died in Energy an Telecommunications
2021: Died in Rules
2020: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2019: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2018: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2017: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2016: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2015: Died in Energy and Telecommunications
2014: Senate Bill 608(Gianaris)- Died in Senate Energy and Telecommu-
nications Committee
2012: Senate Bill 4230 (Gianaris) - Died in Senate Rules Committee
2012: Assembly Bill 2364 (Hevesi) - Died in Assembly Codes Committee
2010: Assembly Bill 1595-A (Gianaris) - Died in Assembly Rules Committee
2008: Assembly Bill 8623-A (Gianaris) - Died in Assembly Codes Committee
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
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EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become law; however, the Public Service Commission will be
immediately authorized and directed to take any and all actions, includ-
ing but not limited to the promulgation of rules, necessary to fully
implement the Provisions of this act on its effective date.

Statutes affected:
S172: 66 public service law, 66(6) public service law