{"AmendmentNumber":"192","ParentBillNumber":"S3178","Bill":null,"Sponsor":{"Id":"V_H0","Name":"Vanna Howard","Type":1,"Details":"https://malegislature.gov/api/GeneralCourts/194/LegislativeMembers/V_H0","ResponseDate":"2026-07-23T14:59:24.053"},"Category":null,"Action":"Adopted","RollCall":[],"Title":"Ensuring Massachusetts’ Fusion Leadership","Branch":"Senate","RedraftNumber":1,"IsFurther":false,"GeneralCourtNumber":194,"Text":"Ms. Howard, Mr. Eldridge, Ms. Edwards and Mr. Tarr move that the proposed new text be amended  in section 2, in section 3A, by inserting after item 7002-8087 the following item:-\r\n“7002-8088\tFor the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, for the center of excellence in nuclear and fusion technology, established in section 48 of chapter 75 of the General Laws, to fund the activities and research initiatives of the center and to provide grants and contracts supporting nuclear fission and fusion research initiatives including, but not limited to, the LIBRA ONE project as defined under said section 48 of said chapter 75; provided, that such initiatives may include the design, construction and operation of experimental apparatus, the procurement of specialized materials and equipment, personnel costs for researchers and graduate students and associated administrative costs; and provided further, that the University of Massachusetts at Lowell shall administer funds, including grants and contracts, in this item and may enter into contracts with other public and private institutions of higher education to carry out the objectives of the center...................... $5,000,000”; and\r\nby inserting after section 84 the following section:-\r\n“SECTION 84A. Chapter 75 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following 2 sections:-\r\nSection 48. (a) As used in this section and section 49, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-“Center”, the center of excellence in nuclear and fusion technology established in subsection (b).\r\n“Fission energy technology”, technology related to the generation of energy through nuclear fission reactions including, but not limited to, reactor design, advanced and small modular reactor technologies, nuclear fuel cycle technologies, reactor materials and nuclear safety and security systems.\r\n“Fusion energy technology”, technologies related to the generation of energy through nuclear fusion reactions including, but not limited to, plasma physics, superconducting magnet systems, tritium breeding and handling, inertial confinement fusion and fusion-fission hybrid systems.\r\n“LIBRA ONE project”, the tritium breeder blanket research program focused on the development of lithium-based tritium breeding systems for use in commercial fusion reactors.\r\n“PSFC”, the plasma science and fusion center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\r\n“University”, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.\r\n(b) There is hereby established within the university the center of excellence in nuclear and fusion technology. The center shall serve as the commonwealth’s primary institution for interdisciplinary research, workforce training and public-private collaboration in nuclear fission and fusion energy technology, including, but not limited to, the LIBRA ONE project. The center shall be administered by the university, which may enter into contracts, subgrant agreements and other cooperative arrangements with other public and private institutions of higher education, national laboratories and research entities to carry out the objectives of the center. The center shall operate under the oversight of the university’s board of trustees, which shall appoint an executive director.\r\n(c) The center shall be responsible for:-\r\n(i) conducting basic and applied research in nuclear fission and fusion energy technology, including reactor science, plasma science, superconducting magnet engineering, tritium science, materials science and related fields;\r\n(ii) developing and operating laboratory facilities, experimental platforms and test beds for fission and fusion energy research including, but not limited to, the LIBRA ONE project;\r\n(iii) providing undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral educational programs and workforce training in nuclear fission and fusion energy technology to support the commonwealth’s nuclear energy sector;\r\n(iv) fostering partnerships with private fission and fusion companies, national laboratories and other research universities in the commonwealth and nationwide;\r\n(v) supporting the commercialization of fission and fusion energy technologies developed at or in partnership with the center; and\r\n(vi) serving as a resource to state agencies on nuclear fission and fusion energy policy, regulation and economic development.\r\n(d) Annually, not later than September 1, the center shall submit a report detailing the center’s activities, research programs, industry partnerships, workforce outcomes and financial status. The report shall be submitted to the governor and filed with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives.\r\nSection 49. (a) The university may enter into a contract or other agreement with the PSFC to carry out the LIBRA ONE project consistent with the objectives of the center established in section 48. An entity performing work under such a contract shall submit to the university a progress report detailing: (i) the use of prior-year grant funds; (ii) the current status of LIBRA ONE project milestones; (iii) the number of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers supported by the grant; and (iv) any publications, intellectual property filings or industry partnerships resulting from grant-funded work. The university shall transmit such progress reports to the executive office of economic development and may withhold further disbursement pending receipt and review of a satisfactory progress report.\r\n(b) Upon completion of the LIBRA ONE project or expiration of the grant term, whichever occurs first, the University shall submit a final report to the governor, the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies and the senate and house committees on ways and means, summarizing the scientific outcomes of the project, its implications for fission and fusion energy commercialization in the commonwealth and recommendations for future state investment in nuclear fission and fusion energy technologies, as defined in section 48.”\r\n"}