Research that works for Kentucky
How Kentucky Turned Away Half a Billion Dollars in Grocery Help
February 2023 is the last month many low-income food assistance recipients across the country will get additional help buying groceries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Budget & Tax
Top House Priorities Show Conflict Between Reducing Revenues and Rising Costs
The House's top priority (HB 1) in the 2023 legislative session is a bill to continue reducing the state's income tax, the source of nearly half of state revenue.
Reducing the Income Tax Will Weaken the Commonwealth
House Bill 1 in the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly is the next step in a...
Kentucky’s ‘Booming’ Bourbon Industry Doesn’t Need Another Tax Cut
Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry had a banner year in 2022, with announcements of over...
Testimony on House Bill 1: Tax Cuts Benefit the Wealthy at the Expense of Everyone Else
Pam Thomas, Senior Fellow for KyPolicy, delivered the testimony below to the House Appropriations and...
Criminal Justice
The 2022 General Assembly Passed More Bills Increasing Incarceration Than Decreasing It, and Failed to Make Other Badly Needed Justice Changes
Kentucky has one of the worst rates of incarceration in the country.
Pretrial Bills in the Kentucky General Assembly Are a Mixed Bag
Kentucky’s pretrial system — which determines whether a person charged with a crime waits for...
While Failing to Address Kentucky’s Overdose Crisis, HB 215 Would Keep People Incarcerated Longer
Kentucky is currently in the midst of an overdose crisis, particularly with fentanyl, a synthetic...
There’s Still Time for Kentucky to Reverse Course on Harmful Criminal Policies
The 2022 General Assembly has a big opportunity to build on positive changes in criminal...
Economic Security
How Kentucky Turned Away Half a Billion Dollars in Grocery Help
February 2023 is the last month many low-income food assistance recipients across the country will get additional help buying groceries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tracking SNAP in Kentucky
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital source of assistance that helps put...
SNAP Is a Vital Tool for Fighting Hunger That Should Be Strengthened, Not Attacked
This Thanksgiving, many Kentuckians will show gratitude for their good fortune by serving meals to...
More Than 3,400 Struggling Parents Denied Food Assistance for Falling Behind on Child Support
Since March 2022, more than 3,400 Kentuckians have lost food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition...
Education
Average Kentucky Teacher Pay Fell More Than 5% This Year, When Adjusted for Inflation
The modest raises provided by most districts this school year were not enough for average teacher pay to keep up with rapid inflation, KyPolicy analysis of new data from the Kentucky Department of Education shows.
Sending Public Money to Private Schools Breaks Kentucky’s Commitment to Students
Ample public investment in K-12 education is essential for Kentucky’s children to thrive. But instead...
Most Kentucky Teachers and School Staff Start Year Without Meaningful Raises
Stagnant salaries are contributing to a growing teacher shortage in Kentucky and across the nation,...
Public Resources Should Stay in Public Schools
All Kentucky children should receive a high-quality education that helps them thrive. Because such an...
Health Care
Kentucky Will Start Providing 10,000 More New Mothers with a Year of Postpartum Medicaid Coverage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just approved a plan to allow Kentuckians who have recently given birth and are covered by Medicaid to keep their coverage for 12 months (up from the 60-day coverage window previously allowed).
Coalition Letter: Kentucky General Assembly Must Use Special Session to Protect the Health of Kentuckians, Our Workforce and Our Children’s Education
A coalition of Kentucky organizations sent this letter to the Kentucky General Assembly on September...
Medicaid Filled the COVID Coverage Gap
Last year when COVID-19 cases were escalating and the bottom fell out of the economy,...
The 2021 Legislative Session Health Care Wrap Up: Steps in the Right Direction
The 2021 General Assembly passed several measures that will improve the affordability and accessibility of...
Jobs & The Economy
Tracking the Economic Recovery from COVID-19 in Kentucky
As more Kentuckians are vaccinated, and as consumer demand remains strong, people are returning to work in greater numbers and Kentucky’s economy is beginning to improve.
The State of Working Kentucky 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn reshaped Kentucky’s economy in ways that are still...
State Workers Help Us All; It’s Past Time to Help Them Too
Everyone in the commonwealth relies on services provided by the state government, and the workers...
Personnel Cabinet Recommends Improving Compensation to Stave off State Workforce Crisis
Kentucky faces a crisis-level shortage of workers in state government. Past legislative actions resulting in...
