BILL NUMBER: S3553
SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring inve-
stor-owned energy utilities publish on its customer-facing website both
its promotional and educational materials
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill requires investor-owned energy utilities to publish their
materials online and to file them with the PSC. Violations will be
penalized.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Short title: This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"Utility Materials Disclosure Act."
Section 2: Amends the public service law to require investor-owned ener-
gy utilities to publish on its customer-facing website, and file with
the commission, any promotional and educational materials that are made
available digitally or in print. Materials published on utility websites
will remain in place for three years. Violations will be assessed pursu-
ant to section twenty-five and twenty-five-a of the public service law.
Section 3: Sets the effective date and provides instructions for imple-
mentation
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As investor-owned energy utilities are increasingly tasked with meeting
their share of the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection
Act (CLCPA) goals, there is public interest in the promotional and
educational materials that such utilities publish, especially as they
relate to clean energy incentives that have already been funded.
Utilities often discuss their promotional and educational work in
service of the CLCPA goals during rate cases, but it is difficult for
the public to evaluate such efforts without being able to see those
materials.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill is effective immediately.