Directs the department of state and public service commission to study and report upon disclosure by utilities to credit reporting agencies of late payments

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5592

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                    February 18, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. LUCAS -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Consumer Affairs and Protection

        AN ACT to direct the department of state and the public service  commis-
          sion to jointly study and report upon the provision to consumer credit
          reporting  agencies  by  public  utility  companies,  cable television
          companies and cellular telephone service suppliers of  information  on
          late payments of or default on any fees or charges incurred by consum-
          ers;  and  providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration
          thereof

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section  1.  The department of state and the public service commission
     2  shall jointly examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning  the
     3  prevalence  of  reporting,  disclosure and otherwise making available to
     4  any consumer credit reporting agency, as defined in subdivision  (k)  of
     5  section 380-a of the general business law, by any public utility company
     6  as defined in subdivision 23 of section 2 of the public service law, any
     7  municipality  engaged  in  providing any public utility, any cable tele-
     8  vision company as defined in subdivision 1 of section 212 of the  public
     9  service  law, any wireless communications service supplier as defined in
    10  subdivision 12 of section 301 of the county law, the Long  Island  power
    11  authority  or the power authority of the state of New York, any informa-
    12  tion relating to the late payment of or default on the  payment  of  any
    13  charges  or fees by consumers for the provision of any public utility or
    14  other services or goods. The department and commission shall study, with
    15  particular care, the practice of reporting consumer payment  information
    16  by  the  above  entities  to consumer credit reporting agencies and make
    17  recommendations on the regulatory and statutory provisions necessary  to
    18  protect consumers in this area.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05863-01-5
        A. 5592                             2

     1    §  2.  The department of state and the public service commission shall
     2  hold joint public hearings throughout  the  state  for  the  purpose  of
     3  conducting their duties pursuant to section one of this act.
     4    §  3.  On or before December 31, 2026, the department of state and the
     5  public service commission shall submit a joint report of their findings,
     6  conclusions and recommendations to the governor and the legislature, and
     7  shall submit with such report such regulatory and legislative  proposals
     8  as they deem necessary to implement their recommendations.
     9    §  4.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
    10  deemed repealed January 1, 2027.