An agency official announced expansion of a state energy assistance program aiming to cap utility bills at 6% of income, serve about 2.5 million more New Yorkers, and mail $1 billion in checks to roughly 8.2 million people, up to $200 each.

The council unanimously approved council bill 121231, implementing new retail rate schedules and a new data‑center customer class and authorizing an approximate 9.5% rate increase to support clean‑energy procurement and grid investments; the vote included expansion of the utility discount program.