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A 11021

Relates to requiring the public service commission to provide certain information relating to a major change in rates on its website

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Didi Barrett and 2 co-sponsors

The PSC must assess ratepayer affordability in major rate cases and publish a detailed public summary of affordability actions and their effectiveness on its website.

REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Bill Summary · A 11021

Bill Summary: A 11021 (2025-2026) – New York Public Service Law

Overview

  • Jurisdiction: New York
  • Introduced: April 22, 2026
  • Primary Sponsor: Didi Barrett (co-sponsors: Judy Griffin, John McDonald)
  • Committee: Energy (Assembly)

  • Status: Passed Assembly (May 4, 2026); referred to Senate (Energy and Telecommunications)

  • Purpose: Require the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) to consider ratepayer affordability and provide a detailed public summary on its website when approving major changes in utility rates or charges. The measure aims to increase transparency around affordability measures and the effectiveness of actions taken to mitigate energy burden.

Key Provisions

  1. Affordability Consideration in Major Rate Cases

    • When a utility files for a major change in rates or charges, the PSC must, in addition to existing requirements, evaluate:
      • Ratepayer affordability of the filed rate schedule.
      • Focus areas: cumulative rate impacts, interests of low- and middle-income utility customers, and minimizing residential energy burden.

  2. Public Summary in Approving Orders

    • Upon approving any major rate change, the PSC must publish on its website a written summary describing:
      • The specific actions taken by the PSC or related department during the rate case to promote ratepayer affordability (as identified in the affordability focus above).
      • A detailed description of these actions and strategies.
      • An evaluation of the effectiveness or success of these actions, including any data or information demonstrating effectiveness.
    • If the rate change includes a multi-year rate plan, the required information must be provided:
      • For each rate year individually.
      • Also as an overview for the rate plan as a whole.

Affected Parties

  • Primary: New York utility ratepayers, especially low- and middle-income households.
  • Secondary: Utilities undergoing major rate changes, PSC staff, and the general public seeking transparency about rate case decisions.

Timelines and Procedural Notes

  • Effective Date: The act takes effect 60 days after becoming law.
  • Transitional Note: It does not affect proceedings that are initiated before the effective date.

Practical Implications

  • In practice, utilities proposing major rate changes will be scrutinized not only on traditional financial metrics but also on how the proposed rates affect affordability.
  • The PSC must articulate, in its final approving order, concrete affordability actions and their assessed effectiveness, with public access on the PSC website.
  • For multi-year rate plans, each year’s affordability actions and outcomes must be separately documented and also summarized at the plan level.

Potential Impacts and Considerations

  • Transparency: Increases public access to the rationale and effectiveness of affordability measures in rate cases.
  • Accountability: Creates a formal requirement for the PSC to justify affordability-focused actions and to assess their outcomes.
  • Equity Focus: Emphasizes protections for low- and middle-income ratepayers and efforts to minimize energy burden.
  • Operational Load: May add procedural steps for PSC staff to document and evaluate affordability actions in every major rate case, particularly for multi-year plans.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary for a policy briefing, a stakeholder memo, or a legislative tracking document with a comparison to existing PSC fee and rate case procedures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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