Relates to periods suspending the operation of certain rate, charge or other changes by utilities, and provisions permitting utilities to retroactively recover…

Official titleShow

Relates to periods suspending the operation of certain rate, charge or other changes by utilities, and provisions permitting utilities to retroactively recover revenues they would have earned during such periods

The heading above is this same sentence with its legal opening removed. No words were added, changed or reordered.

Latest action Feb 5, 2026

Provides that subsequent requests for an extension of a suspension period for certain rate, charge or other changes by utilities shall require approval by the public service commission and shall be valid for one month, after which the commission shall review and determine the necessity of a further extension; provides limitations on retroactive rate recovery by utilities.

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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

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 would address and mitigate the financial burdens placed on consumers due to escalating utility rates and the effects of retroac- tive rate adjustments (known as "make whole provisions") that occur rate cases run longer than allowed by statute.

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

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateFeb 4, 2026Result: passed
(44) (18) (0) (1)
Vote: Committee vote · Energy And Telecommunications
Senate Energy And TelecommunicationsJan 27, 2026Result: passed
(16) (4) (0) (0)
Vote: Committee vote · Rules
Senate RulesJan 12, 2026Result: passed
(16) (4) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateJun 5, 2025Result: passed
(43) (17) (0) (3)
Vote: Committee vote · Energy And Telecommunications
Senate Energy And TelecommunicationsMay 29, 2025Result: passed
(6) (3) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

Chris Burdick, Nathalia Fernandez and 4 more on Agora

Democratic6

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Shelley Mayer says this is needed

In recent years, New Yorkers have faced unprecedented increases in util- ity rates, putting approximately 1.5 million residential households and thousands of businesses at risk of service terminations. These rate hikes, combined with utilities' consistent profitability, underscore a growing financial burden on consumers, particularly those in low-income households. Compounding this issue is the frequent delay in the resolution of utili- ty rate cases, often extending beyond the statutory eleven-month suspen- sion period due to prolonged settlement negotiations. During these delays, utilities frequently seek and are granted "make whole" provisions, allowing them to retroactively recover revenues based on new rates that would have applied during the suspension period. This retro- active adjustment often results in "rate compression," where consumers face unexpectedly higher rates in a short period, exacerbating their financial strain. Although make whole provisions can theoretically apply to both rate increases and decreases, they are predominantly used to justify increases. This imbalance, where large utility corporations wield disproportionate power in rate case settlements, leaves ratepayers to bear the brunt of these financial pressures. This bill seeks to address this imbalance by extending the statutory timeframe for a rate case by 3 months to give all parties additional time to reach a negotiated settlement. In rate cases that exceed the allowable timeframe, this legislation would limit the ability of utili- ties to retroactively recover increased rates. This legislation intro- duces gradient-based rate caps, which will gradually reduce the permis- sible retroactive rate increases over time during extended suspension periods. This structured approach aims to protect consumers from sudden and steep rate increases and promote fairness in the utility rate-set- ting process by restoring the balance in the negotiation power between utilities and ratepayers.

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

Feb 5, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Feb 4, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Feb 4, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Jan 27, 2026
Ordered to Third Reading CAL.144
ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.144
NY Senate
Jan 27, 2026
Reported out of committee
REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
NY Senate

Show full history (11 earlier events)

Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
NY Senate
Jan 5, 2026
Enacting Clause Stricken
ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN
NY Assembly
Jun 5, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Jun 5, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Jun 5, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Jun 5, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Jun 4, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
May 29, 2025
1ST Report CAL.1515
1ST REPORT CAL.1515
NY Senate
Mar 18, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO ENERGY
NY Assembly
Feb 25, 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 2, 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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