Rock Hill, NY – Assembly Member Paula Elaine Kay of the 100^th district says, “Across the state, families on fixed incomes are being hit with utility charges that simply aren't sustainable, and it's clear that the system is failing the very people it's supposed to protect. I want you to know that I've been pushing aggressively for immediate relief and accountability. As of December 2025, more than 1.28 million New York households were already 60 days or more behind on their energy bills. At the same time, cuts to programs like SNAP and HEAP have made it even harder for seniors and working families to keep up. This winter's prolonged cold snap only made matters worse, with supply costs more than doubling.”

Kay has joined 15 of her colleagues in calling on the Governor to take immediate action to bring down costs and protect ratepayers. They proposed several steps that would provide both short-term relief and long-term structural fixes, including:

• Pausing state taxes on utility bills to lower costs during this period of extreme
• delivery charges.
• Returning unused Clean Energy Funds (there is more than $770 million currently sitting in utility accounts) directly to New Yorkers as bill credits.
• Increasing the share of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) revenues used to offset ratepayer costs, which would reduce what utilities collect from customers.
• Requiring utilities to return all excess profits above their approved return on equity (ROE) to ratepayers. Between 2022 and 2025, utilities earned nearly $255 million above their authorized ROE, and customers saw only 14% of that money returned. That must change.
• Creating an Office of Energy and Equity to streamline programs like EAP, HEAP, REACH, and Empower Plus so that seniors and low-income households can access the help they qualify for. Right now, only about half of eligible households are enrolled.

The full letter sent to Governor Hochul is available at this link.

Kay is participating as an intervenor in the ongoing NYSEG rate case before the Public Service Commission. Her office is formally involved in the proceeding and is advocating directly on behalf of ratepayers.

She adds, “I hear from constituents every day who are overwhelmed by their bills, and their stories underscore exactly why we need urgent action. I will continue pressing the Public Service Commission and the Governor's office to address these increases, demand transparency, and deliver real relief for all New Yorkers.

For assistance, Kay says her constituents should call her office at (845) 794-5807 or (845) 342-9304.