STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________
4876
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 24, 2023 ___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, SIMON, PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to providing for the automated identification of affordability program participants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 131-ss to read as follows: 3 § 131-ss. Automated identification of affordability program partic- 4 ipants. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following 5 terms shall have the following meanings: 6 (a) "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of the office of tempo- 7 rary and disability assistance. 8 (b) "Affordability program participant" shall mean a household that is 9 determined to be eligible by the appropriate agency for any of the 10 following programs: 11 (i) Public assistance; 12 (ii) Supplemental security income; 13 (iii) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); 14 (iv) Low income home energy assistance program; 15 (v) Veteran's disability pension; 16 (vi) Veteran's surviving spouse pension; 17 (vii) Child health plus; 18 (viii) Lifeline; and 19 (ix) Any other income-based assistance program identified by the 20 public service commission in consultation with the office. 21 (c) "Office" shall mean the office of temporary disability assistance. 22 (d) "Utility corporation" shall mean a corporation regulated pursuant 23 to article two of the public service law. 24 (e) "Utility corporation energy affordability programs" shall be 25 defined by the public service commission and shall include programs
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01630-01-3
A. 4876 2
1 which are intended to assist customers with energy affordability by 2 reducing customers' energy burden. 3 2. Within one hundred eighty days of the effective date of this 4 section, the commissioner shall establish a statewide program to provide 5 for automated identification of eligible affordability program partic- 6 ipants for participation in utility corporation energy affordability 7 programs. 8 3. The office shall engage with utility corporations to establish 9 automated file matching mechanisms that will provide, via electronic 10 means, to utility corporations a list of eligible affordability program 11 participants within the utility corporation's service territory. 12 4. The office shall conduct automated file matching to identify utili- 13 ty corporation customer accounts that are also affordability program 14 participants and such information shall be provided to utility corpo- 15 rations no less than semi-annually. Utility corporation customer 16 accounts identified by the office as eligible for participation in 17 available utility corporation energy affordability programs as a result 18 of such file matching shall be enrolled in such programs within sixty 19 days of receipt of the office communicating the results of the automated 20 file matching to the utility corporation. Any information provided to 21 the utility corporations related to affordability program participants 22 pursuant to this section shall be redacted as necessary to protect any 23 information that is protected under any state or federal privacy laws, 24 kept confidential, and shall only be utilized for the purpose of 25 confirming eligibility in the utility corporation energy affordability 26 program. 27 5. The commissioner may adopt, on an emergency basis pursuant to arti- 28 cle two of the state administrative procedure act, any rules necessary 29 to carry out the provisions of this article. 30 6. The commissioner may delegate the administration of any portion of 31 this program to any state agency, city, county, town, contractor or 32 non-profit organization in accordance with the provisions of this arti- 33 cle and applicable federal requirements. Provided however, such privacy 34 and confidentiality limitations prescribed in subdivision four of this 35 section shall apply to any entity that the commissioner delegates the 36 administration of the program to. 37 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.