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S 120 NY
Passed Legislature

Prohibits termination of electricity or heat service during forecasts of extreme temperatures

NY · session 2025-2026 · Senate · bill

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Introduced Jan 8, 2025

Latest action (May 19, 2026) RETURNED TO SENATE

Summary

This bill prohibits utilities from terminating residential heat, electricity, or water service during forecasts of extreme temperatures. Extreme temperature is defined as forecasts of 85 degrees Fahrenheit or above for heat, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below for cold. Utilities cannot terminate service the day before, the day of, or the two days after a forecast of extreme temperatures. If actual temperatures reach the threshold during the day, utilities must immediately halt any scheduled terminations, regardless of earlier forecasts.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Official abstract

Prohibits termination of electricity or heat service during forecasts of 85 degrees or more than or thirty-two degrees or below.

Sponsor (1)

5 coauthors / cosponsors

Action history (28)

  1. Jan 8, 2025 REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS · upper
  2. Jan 21, 2025 1ST REPORT CAL.132 · upper
  3. Jan 22, 2025 AMENDED 120A · upper
  4. Jan 22, 2025 2ND REPORT CAL. · upper
  5. Jan 27, 2025 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING · upper
  6. May 28, 2025 PASSED SENATE · upper
  7. May 28, 2025 DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY · upper
  8. May 28, 2025 REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS · lower
  9. Jan 7, 2026 DIED IN ASSEMBLY · lower
  10. Jan 7, 2026 RETURNED TO SENATE · lower
  11. Jan 7, 2026 REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS · upper
  12. Mar 24, 2026 1ST REPORT CAL.627 · upper
  13. Mar 25, 2026 2ND REPORT CAL. · upper
  14. Mar 26, 2026 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING · upper
  15. Apr 15, 2026 PASSED SENATE · upper
  16. Apr 15, 2026 DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY · upper
  17. Apr 16, 2026 REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS · lower
  18. May 4, 2026 RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY · upper
  19. May 4, 2026 RETURNED TO SENATE · lower
  20. May 4, 2026 VOTE RECONSIDERED - RESTORED TO THIRD READING · upper
  21. May 4, 2026 AMENDED ON THIRD READING 120B · upper
  22. May 18, 2026 REPASSED SENATE · upper
  23. May 18, 2026 RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY · upper
  24. May 18, 2026 REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS · lower
  25. May 19, 2026 SUBSTITUTED FOR A5786B · lower
  26. May 19, 2026 ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.456 · lower
  27. May 19, 2026 PASSED ASSEMBLY · lower
  28. May 19, 2026 RETURNED TO SENATE · lower

Text versions (4)

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

  • S120 · HTML
  • S120 · PDF
  • S120A · PDF
  • S120B · PDF

Full text

Full text imported from assembly.state.ny.us

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New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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Bill No.: Summary Actions Committee&nbspVotes Floor&nbspVotes Memo Text LFIN Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript S00120 Summary: BILL NO S00120B &nbsp SAME AS SAME AS A05786-B

&nbsp SPONSOR CLEARE &nbsp COSPNSR BROUK, BYNOE, FERNANDEZ, OBERACKER, ZELLNER &nbsp MLTSPNSR &nbsp Amd §32, Pub Serv L &nbsp Prohibits termination of electricity or heat service during forecasts of 85 degrees or more than or thirty-two degrees or below.

Go to top S00120 Text:

STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

120--B Cal. No. 627

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

(Prefiled)

January 8, 2025 ___________

Introduced by Sens. CLEARE, BROUK, FERNANDEZ, OBERACKER, ZELLNER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first report, amended on first report, ordered to a second report and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of second report -- recommitted to the Committee on Ener- gy and Telecommunications in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading

AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to prohibiting termination of residential utility service during forecasts of extreme temperature

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 32 of the public 2 service law, as added by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 (c) Special procedures for cold weather periods. (i) The commission 5 shall establish procedures to be followed by a utility or municipality 6 supplying heat related service in cold weather periods. Such procedures 7 shall be designed to identify and assist, prior to termination of 8 service, those residents who may suffer serious impairment to health or 9 safety as a result of any such termination. The commission shall estab- 10 lish the applicable cold weather periods; specify criteria for identify- 11 ing residents who are likely to suffer serious impairments, and require 12 that such service not be terminated unless a representative of the util- 13 ity or municipality makes a diligent effort to contact by telephone or

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00254-05-6

S. 120--B 2

1 in person an adult resident of the customer's premises at least seven- 2 ty-two hours prior to termination, makes a personal visit at the time of 3 termination and provides the customer with information regarding the 4 protections available under this article. The commission shall provide 5 for the manner in which such contacts and personal visits are made. (ii) 6 The commission shall [ also ] require a utility or municipality supplying 7 service to continue service to customers where a serious impairment to 8 health or safety is likely to result from termination of service and the 9 person supplied is unable because of mental or physical problems to 10 manage [ his or her ] their own resources or to protect [ himself or 11 herself ] themself from neglect or hazardous situations without the 12 assistance of others. Doubts shall be resolved in favor of continued 13 service. Continuations of service shall be for a period of time to be 14 established by the commission. The commission shall consult with the 15 department of social services and the state office for the aging in 16 implementing the provisions of this paragraph. 17 § 2. Section 32 of the public service law is amended by adding a new 18 subdivision 3-a to read as follows: 19 3-a. (a) For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "forecast of 20 extreme temperature" shall mean a forecast by the national weather 21 service or such other authoritative source as designated by the commis- 22 sion that indicates: 23 (i) the heat index or ambient air temperature will reach eighty-five 24 degrees Fahrenheit or above during any time of day or night; or 25 (ii) lowest forecasted ambient air temperature or wind chill will 26 reach thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit or below during any time of day or 27 night. 28 (b) A utility or municipality supplying residential heat, electricity, 29 or water shall not terminate such service the day preceding, the day of, 30 and the two days following a forecast of extreme temperature. A utility 31 or municipality shall also immediately halt any scheduled termination 32 if, at any point, during that day, the heat index, wind chill, or ambi- 33 ent air temperature reaches or exceeds the threshold set forth in para- 34 graph (a) of this subdivision, regardless of whether the earlier fore- 35 cast predicted that threshold would be met. 36 (c) Any provider of submetered residential electric or water service, 37 including any submetering billing company or third-party administrator 38 acting on behalf of a building owner or manager, shall be subject to the 39 same provisions applicable under this subdivision. 40 § 3. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 41 sion or part of this article of the application thereof to any person, 42 firm or corporation, or circumstance shall be adjudged by any court of 43 competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unconstitutional, such judgement 44 shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall 45 be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdi- 46 vision, or part of this act; or in its application to the person, firm, 47 corporation, or circumstance, directly involved in the controversy in 48 which such judgement shall have been rendered. 49 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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