Kentucky Senate Bill 8

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Completed Legislative Action
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 4)
Status: Passed on April 15 2026 - 100% progression
Action: 2026-04-15 - became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 185)
Text: Latest bill text (Chaptered) [PDF]

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 278 to establish the membership of the Public Service Commission; provide for the appointment, confirmation, and replacement of commissioners; establish the qualifications of the commissioners; provide for the election of the chair and the delegation of his or her duties; set the terms and term limits for commissioners; set qualifications for intervenors in cases before the commission; provide that in cases in which the Attorney General intervenes, he or she shall be the sole advocate for residential consumers; amend KRS 278.020 to increase the minimum voltage and length of electric transmission lines for which a certificate of public convenience and necessity is required for construction; amend KRS 278.040 to provide that the commission is an independent department of state government that is administratively attached to the Auditor of Public Accounts only for the limited functions and purposes that the commission requests; allow the commission, in its sole discretion, to conduct procurements under KRS Chapter 45A, identify and determine the compensation for categories of its professional employees, and engage hearing officers and other entities on a contractual basis; prohibit the commission from being reorganized under KRS Chapter 12; amend KRS 278.060 to prohibit the immediate family members of commissioners from having any official relationship to any utility; allow for a commissioner or an immediate family member to have a pension or a retirement savings account with utility as long as no contributions have been made to it for at least 1 year prior to the commissioner's appointment; amend KRS 278.070 to allow the officer who appointed a commissioner to remove the commissioner for cause; amend KRS 278.100 and 278.120 to allow the commission to appoint and have sole discretion in fixing the compensation of the executive director; require the executive director to be subject to confirmation by the Senate; amend KRS 278.702, 12.020, 43.015, 64.640, 160.617, and 224.10-022 to conform; repeal KRS 278.050, relating to membership of the Public Service Commission; require the Auditor of Public Accounts to make initial appointments to the commission on or before July 1, 2026, and provide for the staggering of the appointments; allow current members of the commission to serve out the remainders of their terms provided that they meet the qualification requirements of the Act; terminate the terms of current commissioners who do not meet the qualification requirements of the Act and provide for their replacement; direct the transfer of all records, files, or documents associated with functions previously performed by the Energy and Environment Cabinet to the Auditor of Public Accounts; EMERGENCY.

AN ACT relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency.

Sen. Brandon Smith [R]

Sen. Robert Mills [R]

Sen. Robin Webb [R]

Sen. Steve West [R]

2026-04-01 - Senate - Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4142 (Y: 32 N: 5 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-04-01 - House - House: Veto Override RCS# 450 (Y: 76 N: 11 NV: 0 Abs: 13) [PASS]
2026-03-06 - Senate - Senate: Third Reading RSN# 3889 (Y: 30 N: 5 NV: 1 Abs: 2) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-04-15	Senate	became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 185)
2026-04-13	Senate	filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State
2026-04-02	Senate	delivered to Governor
2026-04-01	Senate	enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
2026-04-01	Senate	enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
2026-04-01	Senate	passed 32-5
2026-04-01	Senate	Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (2) and Floor Amendment (5)
2026-04-01	Senate	posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (2) and Floor Amendment (5)
2026-04-01	Senate	taken from Rules
2026-04-01	Senate	to Rules (S)
2026-04-01	Senate	received in Senate
2026-04-01	House	3rd reading, passed 76-11 with Committee Substitute (2) and Floor Amendment (5)
2026-03-31	House	floor amendments (4) and (5) filed to Committee Substitute (2)
2026-03-27	House	floor amendment (3) filed to Committee Substitute (2)
2026-03-27	House	placed in the Orders of the Day
2026-03-27	House	taken from Rules
2026-03-27	House	reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (2) and committee amendment (1)
2026-03-24	House	recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
2026-03-20	House	floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute
2026-03-20	House	2nd reading, to Rules
2026-03-19	House	floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
2026-03-19	House	reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
2026-03-17	House	to Natural Resources & Energy (H)
2026-03-10	House	to Committee on Committees (H)
2026-03-10	House	received in House
2026-03-06	Senate	passed 30-5-1 with Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1)
2026-03-06	Senate	floor amendment (5) withdrawn
2026-03-06	Senate	floor amendment (4) withdrawn
2026-03-06	Senate	floor amendment (3) withdrawn
2026-03-06	Senate	floor amendment (2) withdrawn
2026-03-06	Senate	3rd reading
2026-03-05	Senate	posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 06 2026
2026-03-05	Senate	Floor Amendments (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) filed to the Committee Substitute
2026-03-05	Senate	2nd reading, to Rules
2026-03-04	Senate	reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
2026-03-02	Senate	to Natural Resources & Energy (S)
2026-03-02	Senate	to Committee on Committees (S)
2026-03-02	Senate	introduced in Senate

Type	Source
Summary	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb8.html
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb8/orig_bill.pdf
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb8/bill.pdf
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0185.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SCS1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SFA1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SFA2.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SFA3.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SFA4.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/SFA5.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HCS1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HFA1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HFA2.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HCS2.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HCA1.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HFA3.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HFA4.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB8/HFA5.pdf
Roll Call	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb8/vote_history.pdf