BILL NUMBER: S7229
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:
To ensure compliance with reporting requirements under the Public
Service Law by increasing penalties for any utility company that fails
to file or correct an annual report with the Public Service Commission.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends subdivision 6 of § 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 two sets the effective date.
 
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
Public Service Commission are neither timely nor meaningful. While New
York's Public Service Commission is authorized to sanction utility
providers for violating deadlines or failing to correct their annual
reports are not meaningful or imposed in a timely fashion. A $100 penal-
ty 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:
2024-23: S172 died in Energy and Telecommunications / no Assembly same
as
2022: S1244 died in Energy and Telecommunications / no Assembly same as
2021: S1244 advanced to Third Reading / no Assembly same as
2019-20: S2154 died in Energy and Telecommunications / no Assembly same
as
2017-18: S3234 died in Energy and Telecommunications / no Assembly same
as
2015-16: S2482 died in Energy and Telecommunications / no Assembly same
as
2013-14: S608 died in Energy and Telecommunications / A647 died in ener-
gy
2012: S4230 died in Rules / A2364 advanced to third reading
2011: S4230 died in Energy and Telecommunications / A2364 advanced to
third reading
2010: A1595 ordered to third reading / no Senate same as
2009: A1595 advanced to third reading / no Senate same as
2008: A8623 advanced to third reading / no Senate same as
2007: A8623 died in codes / no Senate same as
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the public service
commission is authorized to take any and all actions, including but not
limited to the promulgation of any necessary rules, necessary to fully
implement the provisions of this act on its effective date.

Statutes affected:
S7229: 66 public service law, 66(6) public service law