Prohibits termination of electricity or heat service during forecasts of 85 degrees or more than or thirty-two degrees or below.
Summary
S00120 amends New York’s Public Service Law to restrict when utilities and municipalities may shut off residential heat or electricity service. The bill adds a new rule barring termination on any day when there is a forecast of extreme temperature, defined as a National Weather Service heat index forecast of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and it also extends that protection through holidays and weekends when such a forecast comes before them.
The bill also preserves and reinforces existing cold-weather protections in section 32 of the Public Service Law. Those provisions require the Public Service Commission to maintain procedures intended to prevent dangerous shutoffs, especially for customers whose health or safety could be seriously harmed by loss of service and who may be unable to protect themselves because of mental or physical limitations. The measure states that doubts should be resolved in favor of continued service and allows the commission to set the duration of service continuations.
In practical terms, the bill would limit utility shutoff authority for residential heat and electric service during dangerous weather conditions and could reduce the number of disconnections during heat waves and cold snaps. It affects utilities and municipalities that supply residential heat or electricity, and it leaves room for more protective settlement agreements already filed with the commission or department. The bill takes effect immediately.
The overall sentiment appears strongly supportive. The bill advanced out of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee by an 8-1 vote and later passed the Senate floor by wide margins, 59-1 in 2025 and 52-1 in 2026, indicating broad agreement that service should not be terminated when extreme temperatures could endanger residents. The committee and floor votes suggest the measure was viewed as a consumer and public-safety protection rather than a controversial regulatory change.
The main point of contention is the balance between consumer protection and utility collection/enforcement authority. Any opposition likely centers on the operational and financial burden on utilities and municipalities, as well as the broader question of how far shutoff restrictions should extend. The bill’s supporters, by contrast, appear focused on preventing health and safety risks for vulnerable residents during extreme weather.
Impact
The bill would amend section 32 of the Public Service Law by adding a new subdivision 3-a and modifying existing cold-weather service protections. It would prohibit utilities and municipalities from terminating residential heat or electricity service on days with a forecast of extreme temperature, and, if such a forecast comes before a holiday or weekend, during the holiday or weekend as well. The bill also preserves existing protections for customers at risk of serious health or safety harm and clarifies that more protective settlement agreements are not preempted.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan or near-unanimous support, as reflected in strong committee and floor votes with only one dissenting vote in each recorded action. The discussion context suggests the measure is generally viewed as a public-health and consumer-protection bill aimed at preventing dangerous utility shutoffs during extreme weather. There is little evidence of significant opposition in the available record.
Contention
The likely area of disagreement is whether restricting shutoffs during forecasted extreme temperatures unduly limits utilities’ ability to manage unpaid accounts and enforce service rules. Supporters emphasize protecting vulnerable residents from serious health and safety risks, while any opponents would likely focus on administrative burden, revenue impacts, and the breadth of the weather-based shutoff ban. The bill also raises definitional questions, since it uses National Weather Service forecasts and a heat-index threshold to trigger protections.
Relates to the definition of "reproductive health services" for purposes of the offense of criminal interference with health care services or religious worship in the second degree; defines "legally protected health activity"; increases the penalties for the criminal interference with health care services or religious worship in the first and second degrees, and for aggravated interference with health care services in the second degree.
Relates to the definition of "reproductive health services" for purposes of the offense of criminal interference with health care services or religious worship in the second degree; defines "legally protected health activity"; increases the penalties for the criminal interference with health care services or religious worship in the first and second degrees, and for aggravated interference with health care services in the second degree.
Establishes uniform definitions, standardized procedures, and uniform applications or forms, for determining a medical emergency, life-support equipment and designation of elderly, blind and disabled customers protected from termination of utility services.