Kentucky Senate Bill 57

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Completed Legislative Action
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 7-1)
Status: Passed on April 8 2026 - 100% progression
Action: 2026-04-08 - signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 56)
Text: Latest bill text (Chaptered) [PDF]

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to establish the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; define terms; require the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (authority) to annually submit recommendations to the General Assembly for awarding grant funding to eligible applicants for up to 1/3 of the actual costs incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, not to exceed $25,000,000; establish eligibility requirements and scoring criteria for applications; require the authority to make eligibility determinations and objectively score grant applications; require that applicants procure a surety bond or other similar security to guarantee the repayment of the grant amounts in the event of forfeiture for eligibility; provide for forfeiture and repayment of grant funding if certain permitting, licensure, or commencement of construction timelines are not met; establish the Kentucky nuclear reactor site readiness pilot program fund; create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to allow a regulated utility to apply to the Public Service Commission for the recovery of costs not covered in its existing rates incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission; prohibit the recovery of costs for any amounts that have been offset by grant funding from the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; amend KRS 164.2802 to require 12 hours of nuclear-related training for new and existing at-large voting members of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority; allow the director or the chair of the authority to waive the training requirement for any member who can demonstrate adequate knowledge of nuclear-related issues; require that the authority include its evaluations, scores, and funding recommendations for the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program with its annual report to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 164.2803 to allow fusion-related nuclear energy projects to be eligible for grant funding from the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program.

AN ACT relating to nuclear energy development.

Sen. Danny Carroll [R]	Sen. Matthew Deneen [R]	Sen. Greg Elkins [R]	Sen. Robert Mills [R]
Sen. Gerald Neal [D]	Sen. Steve West [R]	Sen. Phillip Wheeler [R]	Sen. George Wise [R]

2026-03-26 - House - House: Veto Override RCS# 329 (Y: 82 N: 11 NV: 0 Abs: 7) [PASS]
2026-03-02 - Senate - Senate: Third Reading RSN# 3871 (Y: 37 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-04-08	Senate	signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 56)
2026-03-27	Senate	delivered to Governor
2026-03-27	Senate	enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
2026-03-27	Senate	enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
2026-03-27	Senate	received in Senate
2026-03-26	House	3rd reading, passed 82-11
2026-03-18	House	posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 19 2026
2026-03-17	House	reported favorably, 2nd reading, to Rules
2026-03-13	House	to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
2026-03-13	House	returned to Committee on Committees (H)
2026-03-13	House	1st reading
2026-03-13	House	taken from Committee on Committees (H)
2026-03-03	House	to Committee on Committees (H)
2026-03-03	House	received in House
2026-03-02	Senate	3rd reading, passed 37-0 with Committee Substitutes (1) and (2)
2026-02-26	Senate	posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Monday, March 02 2026
2026-02-25	Senate	reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitutes (1) and (2)
2026-02-12	Senate	recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (S)
2026-02-12	Senate	2nd reading, to Rules
2026-02-11	Senate	reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
2026-01-15	Senate	to Natural Resources & Energy (S)
2026-01-09	Senate	to Committee on Committees (S)
2026-01-09	Senate	introduced in Senate

Type	Source
Summary	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb57.html
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb57/orig_bill.pdf
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb57/bill.pdf
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0056.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB57/SCS1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/sb57/SCS1FN.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB57/SCS2.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/sb57/SCS2FN.pdf
Roll Call	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb57/vote_history.pdf
Supplement	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/sb57/FN.pdf