New York state Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon will take over the NY HEAT Act in the Assembly from now-state Sen. Pat Fahy.

The bill has passed in the state Senate twice, and Fahy worked to get the bill over the finish line in the Assembly right up until the last hours of the 2024 legislative session, and her last hours in the lower chamber.

Simon told Spectrum News 1 that she is honored to pick up the bill, and she will fight “relentlessly” to see it passed.

"New Yorkers are paying more every year for the same old, outdated system, when we could be paying less for new, better technology. NY HEAT is a forward-looking plan that transitions us away from fossil fuels.“ she said in a statement, “It will save New Yorkers money on their utility bills while providing modern heating, cooling, and cooking options that work better. As New York falls behind on its climate goals, the NY HEAT Act is essential."

The legislation was reintroduced by state Sen. Liz Krueger in the Senate this week.

“This session, the Legislature has two imperatives – address the affordability crisis for regular New Yorkers, and protect the progress our state has made on critical priorities in the face of Donald Trump’s attempts to send us back to the 19th century," Kruger said. “NY HEAT achieves both of those goals: it will save ratepayers billions of dollars every year and will make significant progress toward our climate goals at a time when we’re risking stagnation or worse. The status quo of our utility gas system is expensive, old, leaky, cold, and dangerous. Repairing and replacing the system, not to mention expanding it, is driving rate increases around the state."

The bill has historically struggled in the Assembly. Earlier this year, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter that there are long-term concerns about affordability issues when it comes to the language that deals with the state’s long-term transition away from fossil fuels.

“It’s about making sure that it doesn’t become a financial burden on people,” he said. “Electrifying a home can cost thousands and thousands of dollars so we wanted to have a clearer path with clearer language to make sure when this happens, families will not be burdened.”

If passed, the bill will have to face Gov. Kathy Hochul’s amped focus on affordability after she already kicked the can down the road on "Cap and Invest" in this year’s executive budget.

Advocates like John Raskin, president of Spring Street Climate Fund, argue the HEAT Act is about ensuring affordability with its promise to cap utility costs at 6% of household income for low to moderate income families.

“It protects low income customers most directly by creating a cap for their bills to make it so people don’t pay too much for energy, but it protects everyone because what it does is avoids a lot of spending,” he said.

Raskin insisted that eliminating the 100 Foot rule, which ends the practice of connecting new customers to a natural gas lines for free if they are within 100 feet of an existing supply will trickle down to customers.

“That’s really driving the utility bill increases that everybody is experiencing,” he said.

The bill’s reintroduction in the Senate coincided with a rally at the state Capitol where advocates, including Lena Goings, core organizer for youth-led Friday’s for Future NYC, encouraged state officials to step up given the Trump Administration’s stance on climate issues.

“They can do this by supporting NY HEAT, a bill that will save families thousands of dollars each year by capping utility bills and ending ratepayer subsidies to fossil fuel companies,” she said. Young people like myself are especially supportive of this legislation because we are going to inherit this planet, and the expansion of clean energy will have a direct impact on the livability of the climate as we grow into adulthood.”

In addition to road blocks in the Assembly, the HEAT Act faces fierce resistance from Republicans like State Sen. George Borrello, who say regardless of a 6% cap for some New Yorkers, the impact of phasing out natural gas long terms are at the heart of this affordability concerns.

“The HEAT Act would be a huge step backwards in terms of affordability,” he said. “You cannot tell me that taking away natural gas one of the most affordable ways to heat your home is going to save money for New Yorkers.”