S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2476
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 23, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed,
         and  when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Tele-
         communications
       AN ACT to amend the public service law,  in  relation  to  requiring  at
         least  one commissioner of the public service commission to have expe-
         rience in utility consumer advocacy
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Subdivision  1 of section 4 of the public service law, as
    2  amended by chapter 155 of the laws  of  1970,  is  amended  to  read  as
    3  follows:
    4    1. There shall be in the department of public service a public service
    5  commission, which shall possess the powers and duties hereinafter speci-
    6  fied,  and also all powers necessary or proper to enable it to carry out
    7  the purposes of this chapter.  The  commission  shall  consist  of  five
    8  members,  to  be  appointed  by the governor, by and with the advice and
    9  consent of the senate. A commissioner shall be designated as chairman of
   10  the commission by the governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure
   11  of the governor or until his  term  as  commissioner  expires  whichever
   12  first occurs. AT LEAST ONE COMMISSIONER SHALL HAVE EXPERIENCE IN UTILITY
   13  CONSUMER  ADVOCACY.  No  more than three commissioners may be members of
   14  the same political party unless, pursuant to action taken under subdivi-
   15  sion two, the number of commissioners shall exceed  five,  and  in  such
   16  event  no  more than four commissioners may be members of the same poli-
   17  tical party.
   18    S 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
   19  have  become a law and shall apply to appointments made on or after such
   20  date.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07125-01-5