Research that works for Kentucky
Amid Mounting Harms, Kentucky Is Ramping Up Anti-Immigrant Enforcement
A year in to the Trump presidency, the administration’s mass deportation effort has resulted in a historic high of 68,990 immigrants locked up in detention, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is becoming increasingly aggressive in its pursuit of arrests.
Budget & Tax
Governor Proposes Tight Budget for Ongoing Services, Using Reserve Funds to Help Household Affordability Needs
Governor Beshear's budget proposes using nearly $1 billion from the state’s $3.7 billion Budget Reserve Trust Fund (BRTF) to fill gaps in household affordability needs, address some of the fallout of H.
A State Budget for an Affordable Kentucky: Preview of the 2026–2028 Budget of the Commonwealth
In the 2026 legislative session, the Kentucky General Assembly will perform its most important job...
State and Federal Tax Cuts of the Last Decade Are Giving an Enormous Windfall to the Wealthiest Kentuckians
The Kentucky General Assembly will create a new two-year budget in 2026 in the face of declining state revenues and substantial new...
Kentucky Is Now a Casino State: Slot Machine Gambling Surpasses $10 Billion Annually, But at What Cost?
Kentucky has rapidly become a casino state as legalized slot machine gambling has proliferated across...
Criminal Justice
Amid Mounting Harms, Kentucky Is Ramping Up Anti-Immigrant Enforcement
A year in to the Trump presidency, the administration’s mass deportation effort has resulted in a historic high of 68,990 immigrants locked up in detention, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is becoming increasingly aggressive in its pursuit of arrests.
ICE Arrests Are Surging in Kentucky as Local Law Enforcement Joins Troubling Mass Deportation Effort
Anti-immigration enforcement has ramped up since the inauguration in January, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
FBI Data Shows Violent Crime Dropped in Kentucky Last Year and Is Now Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
New FBI crime data shows violent crime in Kentucky dropped by 6.3% between 2023 and...
One Year Of House Bill 5: Hundreds of Unhoused Kentuckians Have Been Cited for ‘Unlawful Camping’
One year after 2024’s House Bill (HB) 5 went into effect, the harms of the sweeping...
Economic Security
Affordability Is a Crisis for Kentuckians. Here’s What State Leaders Can Do About It.
Every poll tells us that affordability is the major concern facing hardworking Americans.
Building a Kentucky Workers Can Afford
Hard work runs deep in Kentucky. Kentuckians dug the coal that powered the 20th century...
Affordability Is a Crisis for Kentuckians
Many Kentuckians are struggling to afford the cost of living. This problem is not new,...
For Tens of Thousands of Kentuckians Participating in SNAP, the Shutdown Is Just Beginning
The recently ended shutdown of the federal government demonstrated just how essential the Supplemental Nutrition...
Education
State Report Shows Educators in Most Kentucky School Districts Received Little or No Raise
The typical Kentucky school district increased salaries for teachers and other certified employees by only 2% this year, and 40 districts provided no raise at all, according to an annual report released by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
For the Same Cost as a Half-Point Income Tax Cut, Kentucky Could Meaningfully Reinvest in Public Education
In the 2025 General Assembly, Kentucky lawmakers reduced the individual income tax rate from 4%...
Education Funding in Kentucky Remains Inadequate, Inequitable and Uncertain as Kids Head Back to School
As Kentucky students head back to school this month, state funding for K-12 education continues...
Student Loan Interest Is Accruing Again for 1 in 5 Kentucky Borrowers
Interest begins accruing again today for the nearly eight million student loan borrowers enrolled in...
Health Care
Kentuckians in Every County Will See Health Care Costs Soar Unless Congress Acts
In 2025, more than 90,000 Kentuckians were enrolled in a health insurance plan through kynect, the state’s health insurance marketplace.
The Fight in D. C. Is About Making Life, and Health Care, More Affordable
Getting health care when you need it can be the difference between life and death,...
Make No Mistake, The Big Beautiful Bill Weakens Medicaid
Whether or not you’ve ever needed it, Medicaid forms the bedrock of Kentucky’s entire healthcare...
Costs on Kentucky’s Health Insurance Marketplace Will Explode Without Quick Action From Congress
For the nearly 100,000 Kentuckians who signed up for plans on kynect this year, the...
Jobs & The Economy
Kentucky Minimum Wage Now Half its Previous Peak, and Below Poverty Line
As of this week, it has been 16 years since the minimum wage was increased.
Job Corps Closings Raises Question of What Cuts Are Really All About
The budget axe wielded by DOGE and the Trump administration fell on Job Corps last...
Kentuckians Need a New Trade Policy, Not a Chaotic Trade War
Fruit of the Loom apparel plants once dotted the Kentucky landscape, with 11,000 workers at...
How Have Federal Workforce Cuts Affected You?
Tens of thousands of Kentuckians work for the federal government or other employers that receive...
