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Senate bill · S8908 (2025-26)

Relates to civil penalties imposed by the public service commission upon certain utility corporations

PassedLatest action Jun 4, 2026

New York State Senate

Same as A10422, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Sponsor

Leroy Comrie

State Senator, District 14 · Democratic

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Summary

Requires that any sanction or civil penalty imposed by the public service commission be returned to the rate payers by means of a direct bill credit, as soon as practically feasible or no later than ninety days.

Summary from NY Open Legislation. How we handle summaries

Amends the Public Service Law.

From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 23, 2026. About our data

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Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

To require that civil penalties and forfeitures recovered from public utilities for violations of the Public Service Law or Public Service Commission orders be returned directly to affected ratepayers through bill credits, rather than deposited into the State's general fund or distributed at the discretion of the Commission.

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

Where it stands

Passed the legislature and is awaiting a signature.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Up for a vote
  4. Passed one chamber
  5. Passed
  6. Enacted

Committee

Corporations, Authorities and Commissions · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · New York State Senate, Energy And Telecommunications · New York State Senate.

Cosponsors

Andrew Hevesi, Jeremy Zellner and 3 more on Agora

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab)
  • Democratic3
  • Republican2

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

The sponsor's argument

Why Leroy Comrie says this is needed

Public utilities are granted monopoly service territories and are subject to regulatory oversight in exchange for providing safe, reli- able, and adequate service at just and reasonable rates. When utilities violate the law or fail to comply with Public Service Commission orders, civil penalties are imposed to enforce accountability. Under current law, penalties recovered under section 24 are deposited into the State's general fund, and penalties under section 25-a may be distributed for the benefit of ratepayers in a manner determined by the Commission. As a result, customers who experience service failures do not consistently receive direct or timely financial relief. This bill restores the intended consumer-protection purpose of civil penalties by ensuring that the financial consequences of utility miscon- duct directly benefit the customers who pay utility bills. Returning penalties through automatic bill credits provides meaningful ratepayer relief, strengthens accountability, and reinforces public confidence in utility regulation. By establishing a clear deadline for refunds, the bill also promotes transparency and prevents unnecessary delays in delivering relief to customers.

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.

Recorded votes

  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateApr 15, 2026Result: passed

    (55) (0) (0) (8)

  • Vote: Committee vote · Energy And Telecommunications

    Senate Energy And TelecommunicationsMar 24, 2026Result: passed

    (9) (0) (0) (0)

Full history

  1. Jun 4, 2026

    Ordered to Third Reading Rules CAL.508

    ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.508

    NY Assembly

  2. Jun 4, 2026

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED ASSEMBLY

    NY Assembly

  3. Jun 4, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES

    NY Assembly

  4. Jun 4, 2026

    Substituted

    SUBSTITUTED FOR A10422

    NY Assembly

  5. May 21, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS

    NY Assembly

Show full history (8 earlier events)
  1. Apr 16, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS

    NY Assembly

  2. Apr 15, 2026

    Sent to the executive

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  3. Apr 15, 2026

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  4. Mar 26, 2026

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

  5. Mar 25, 2026

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  6. Mar 24, 2026

    1ST Report CAL.635

    1ST REPORT CAL.635

    NY Senate

  7. Mar 5, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS

    NY Assembly

  8. Jan 14, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

    NY Senate