Relates to establishing requirements and penalties for combination utility companies during service outages

Latest action Mar 11, 2026

Relates to establishing requirements and penalties for combination utility companies during service outages; provides that a penalty for failure to reasonably comply with requirements that protect the overall reliability and continuity of combination utility company services shall be up to one hundred dollars per violation or for a pattern or practice of such violations up to one thousand dollars per violation.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A4078, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the Public Service Law.

Committee

Energy · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Energy And Telecommunications · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

This legislation. amends the public service law by authorizing the public service commission to establish acceptable standards of perform- ance for combination utility companies during power outages and power restoration efforts; imposes penalties for failure to perform.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 11, 2026Result: passed
(51) (11) (0) (1)
Vote: Committee vote · Energy And Telecommunications
Senate Energy And TelecommunicationsFeb 24, 2026Result: passed
(7) (2) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 27, 2025Result: passed
(52) (9) (0) (2)
Vote: Committee vote · Energy And Telecommunications
Senate Energy And TelecommunicationsJan 28, 2025Result: passed
(6) (3) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

David McDonough, Keith Brown and 2 more on Agora

Democratic2
Republican2

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Kevin S. Parker says this is needed

To quell customers' uncertainties surrounding service outages and to ensure that families and small businesses are better protected during those times, we must enact standards for utilities' preparedness and response during emergencies and service. outages. To reinforce those protections for our. New York residents, it is critical that we hold utility companies liable, per violation, do the event they fail to reasonably protect against or properly respond during such service outages. These kinds of actions are especially important for New York state which has historically dealt with issues surrounding the severe storm response provided by utilities- i.e, during Hurricane'Sandy, Hurricane Ida, and Hurricane Irene. When utility companies failed to properly respond during those storms, families around the state dealt with the resulting severe consequenc- es,with plenty being forced out of their homes. This bill proposes that the Public Service Commission develop and establish a penalty system for combination utilities companies who fail to reasonably respond during service outages. This would grant the necessary safeguards to ensure that all customers are properly protected.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Mar 11, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 11, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 11, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Feb 26, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Feb 25, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (12 earlier events)

Feb 24, 2026
1ST Report CAL.396
1ST REPORT CAL.396
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
NY Senate
Mar 27, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 27, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 27, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Feb 3, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Jan 31, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Jan 28, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
Jan 27, 2025
1ST Report CAL.189
1ST REPORT CAL.189
NY Senate
Jan 10, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
NY Senate

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 1, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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