Includes water-works corporations in the definition of "utility corporation" for purposes of automated identification of OTDA assistance program participants; provides for automated identification of OTDA assistance program participants for participation in water service affordability programs.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9522
SPONSOR: Solages TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to automated iden-
tification of OTDA assistance program participants
PURPOSE::
For the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to coordi-
nate with water-works companies on automated file matching to identify
eligible affordability program participants.
SUMMARY::
Section 1. Amends paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 1 and subdivi-
sion 2 of section 131-ss of the social services law, as amended by chap-
ter 78 of the laws of 2024.
Section 2. Sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's utilities offer Energy Affordability Programs (EAPs) that
follow guidance from the New York Public Service Commission which
requires utilities to set low-income program discount levels that keep
customer energy burden at or below a target goal of 6% of household
income. EAPs offer customers a monthly bill credit using a tiered
discount structure that considers whether the customer is a heating or a
non-heating customer.
Utility customers who receive Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
grants paid to the utility on the customer's behalf are automatically
enrolled in the utility corporation's Energy Affordability Programs
(EAP). However, until a bill was chaptered in 2024, not all low-income
customers receive HEAP even if they qualify to receive it.
A bill that the legislature passed and was signed by the governor estab-
lished a file-matching process which will dramatically increase partic-
ipation in EAP programs. Until now, outside of New York City, customers
were largely responsible for self-identifying for being eligible for the
program - limiting the number of those who benefit. An automated proc-
ess is more efficient and less costly to administer than identifying
customers on a case-by-case manner. Making file matching a statewide
practice is a more efficient utilization of state and utility resources.
This legislation would expand on this law and include private water
utilities in the file matching system so that those who are eligible but
not enrolled will benefit from water bill discount programs.
RACIAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
People of color and low-income New Yorkers are disproportionately
impacted by rising utility costs. Specifically, redlining and housing
discrimination has resulted in Black and Latino households paying more
in utilities than their White counterparts. Several studies have shown
that low-quality housing stock due to racial segregation is a major
driving factor of this disparity
1.
GENDER JUSTICE IMPACT:
TBD.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect immediately.
(1) Constantine Kontokosta, Vincent Reina, Bartozs Bonczak, "Energy Cost
Burdens for Low-Income and Minority Households: Evidence From Energy
Benchmarking and Audit Data in Five U.S. Cities," Journal of the Ameri-
can Planning Association 86 no. 1, (Sept. 2019): 89-105,
https://doi.org,/10.1080/01944363.2019.1647446; Brentin Mock, "Neighbor-
hoods With More People of Color Pay Higher Energy Bills," Bloomberg,
November 25, 2019,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-25/why-white-households-
pay-less-for-utilities.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9522
IN ASSEMBLY
March 20, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to automated iden-
tification of OTDA assistance program participants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 1 and subdivision 2
2 of section 131-ss of the social services law, as amended by chapter 78
3 of the laws of 2024, are amended to read as follows:
4 (d) "Utility corporation" shall include utility companies, utility
5 corporations, public utility companies, public utility corporations, gas
6 corporations, electric corporations, [or] municipalities as defined in
7 section two of the public service law and regulated pursuant to the
8 public service law, water-works corporations, a municipal corporation
9 that provides public utility services, a rural electric cooperative, or
10 a state public authority that provides utility services.
11 (e) "Utility corporation energy affordability programs" shall be
12 defined by the public service commission and shall be limited to utility
13 corporation programs which are intended to assist customers with energy
14 affordability by reducing customers' energy or water service burden.
15 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the commis-
16 sioner shall provide for automated identification of OTDA assistance
17 program participants for participation in utility corporation energy or
18 water service affordability programs pursuant to subdivision four of
19 this section.
20 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14564-01-4
