A9441

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Identical to Senate Bill 8764 — 2026-01-20

A procedural motion by Sen. Hinchey to discharge Assembly Bill 9441 from the Committee on Rules and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 8764 was laid aside following a motion by Sen. Lanza. The bill was removed from consideration without a vote.

Debate Summary

Sen. Hinchey moved to discharge Assembly Bill 9441 from the Committee on Rules and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 8764 from Third Reading Calendar 16. Sen. Lanza moved to lay the bill aside, and the presiding officer granted the motion.

An act to amend the Public Service Law — 2026-01-20 · Calendar #16

The Senate passed A9441, a Public Service Law amendment requiring utilities to provide detailed transparency on capital expenditures in rate cases, by a vote of 57-0 on January 20. The measure faced a procedural challenge when Acting President Mayer ruled an amendment by Sen. Helming nongermane. The amendment, based on S5251, would have required the Public Service Commission to disclose the per-ratepayer cost of Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act compliance. Sen. Helming appealed the ruling, arguing the amendment was germane and necessary to provide ratepayers with transparency about rising electricity costs, which have increased nearly 50 percent since the CLCPA's 2019 passage. The appeal failed 21-0 on a show of hands vote. Floor debate revealed a partisan divide over whether the CLCPA drives utility costs, with Democrats arguing clean energy is cheaper and Republicans contending subsidies and mandates inflate rates. The underlying bill passed unanimously.

PASSED Ayes: 57 · Nays: N/A

Debate Summary

Debate centered on utility rate transparency and the costs of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Sen. Helming argued the amendment would provide critical transparency about CLCPA compliance costs, noting electricity prices have risen nearly 50 percent since the law's passage and that ratepayers deserve to know the true costs of these policies. Sen. Harckham countered that the CLCPA's net benefit exceeds $100 billion and that rising rates are driven by data farms and AI infrastructure, not clean energy mandates. Sen. Borrello disputed claims that renewable energy is cheaper, citing the need for power purchase agreements and subsidies. Sen. Hinchey supported the bill for providing transparency on utility capital projects and preventing wasteful spending on fossil fuel infrastructure.

Amendments

Sponsor	Description	Outcome
Sen. Helming	Amendment based on S5251 by Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick directing the Public Service Commission to determine and disclose the cost per ratepayer of compliance with the CLCPA	defeated