A bill to help ease New York state employees’ utility costs during payroll freezes has been met with some pushback from several Albany Republicans.
Assemblymember Larinda C. Hooks, a Queens Democrat, introduced the “automatic utility deferment act” on April 24, which would suspend utility service terminations and waive late utility payment penalties for state employees during payroll freezes that occur when the state budget is late.
Other state lawmakers are taking issue with the proposed legislation as the average New Yorker continues to struggle to pay their utility bills. At the end of 2025, more than 1.2 million New York households were behind at least two months on their gas and electric bills.
Here’s what to know.
How the bill would ease utility bill pressure for state employees
Covered state employees, or any individual employed on the New York state payroll, wouldn’t have to worry about utility service termination or late utility payment penalties during periods when they don’t receive their scheduled pay “due to a lapse or delay in enacted appropriations,” as payments are allowed to be deferred through this bill.
Affected state employees should repay their delayed payments on a structured payment plan starting 60 days after their payroll has been fully restored, and the balance needs to be fully paid off within a year, according to the proposed legislation.
Utilities regulated by the state also can’t report these employees’ deferred balances to credit reporting agencies during the deferment periods or structured repayment periods, and both utilities and municipalities can’t terminate their residential service during this time.
The temporary measure would automatically begin at the start of when these unpaid periods begin, and if utilities violated the legislation, they would face penalties, the bill outlines.
Why are some state lawmakers pushing back?
The proposed measure received quick and heavy resistance as several state Republican assemblymembers say the only employees currently subject to a pay freeze are the 213 members of the state Legislature.
“At a time when many New Yorkers are struggling just to get by and in need of real relief, legislative proposals like this send the wrong message that lawmakers are serious about helping New Yorkers,” says Assemblymember Andrea Bailey, a Rochester-area Republican.
“Family farms, small businesses, local schools, to name a few, don’t have the luxury of deferring payment on their bills and neither should the political class,” she added.
Bailey also said it turns focus away from the state budget and another upstate lawmaker, Assemblymember Joe Angelino, a Binghamton-area Republican, called it “the very definition of tone-deafness.”
“This is a staggering admission from the left that not only are utility costs too high, but they have no interest in actually bringing down costs for ratepayers,” Assemblymember John Lemondes, a Central New York Republican, said.
This story has been updated with additional information
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Why late NY budget has lawmakers fighting over their own utility bills
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
