Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky SB8: AN ACT relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency.
Status: Chaptered, April 15, 2026
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, 12.0
What the bill says
An act relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency.
From the committee substitute text:
AN ACT relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 278 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: (1) The Public Service Commission shall consist of five (5) members appointed by the Governor as follows: (a) Two (2) shall be licensed attorneys who have actively practiced law in the Commonwealth for at least seven (7) years; and (b) Three (3) shall have education or training, and five (5) years of actual experience, in one (1) or more of the following 2. Engineering; 3. Accounting; 4. Finance; 5. Utility regulation, operation, or management; 6. Pipeline or utility infrastructure safety; 7. Business management; or 8. Environmental management. (2) Appointments and reappointments to the commission shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate as provided in KRS 11.160. (3) (a) Every four (4) years, the commissioners shall elect a chair from among the commissioners, who shall serve a four (4) year term or until his or her term expires without reappointment, whichever comes first. (b) Members of the commission may serve multiple terms as chair subject to the term limitations set forth in subsection (5) of this section. (c) The chair shall be the chief executive officer of the commission and shall designate one …
Sponsors
- Brandon Smith (R, SD-030) · primary sponsor
- Robert Mills (R, SD-004)
- Robin Webb (R, SD-018)
- Steve West (R, SD-027)
Latest actions
- : became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 185)
- : filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State
- : delivered to Governor
- : enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
- : enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
- : passed 32-5
- : Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (2) and Floor Amendment (5)
- : posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (2) and Floor Amendment (5)
- : taken from Rules
- : to Rules (S)
Votes
- Senate: FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 8 w/ HCS 2, HFA 5 (HCS 2) RSN# 4142 (April 1, 2026): 32 yea, 5 nay, passed
- House: Pass RCS# 450 (April 1, 2026): 76 yea, 11 nay, passed
- Senate: PASS SB 8 w/ SCS 1, SFA 1 (SCS 1) RSN# 3889 (March 6, 2026): 30 yea, 5 nay, passed
Subjects: State Agencies, Confirmation Of Appointments, Effective Dates, Emergency, Public Utilities, State Employees, Boards And Commissions, Attorney General, Administrative Regulations And Proceedings
Common questions
- What is SB8?
- SB8 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency.
- What does SB8 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to public utilities and declaring an emergency.
- What is the status of SB8?
- Chaptered as of April 15, 2026. Latest action: became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 185) (April 15, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB8?
- Brandon Smith (R, SD-030), with 3 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB8?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sb8.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.