Research that works for Kentucky
The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky
Thousands of provisions in Kentucky state law, and untold local ordinances, make up a vast, hidden web of criminal legal system fines and fees that trap many people in a cycle of long-term debt and incarceration.
Budget & Tax
Trouble Looms If Congress Passes the Buck to the Kentucky State Budget
Congress is considering huge cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, energy and higher education in an attempt to pay for just a portion of the enormous cost of tax cuts skewed to the wealthy.
Program Cuts and Tariff Costs Will Leave Many Kentucky Families Worse Off, Even with Modest Tax Cuts
On Thursday, May 22nd, the House of Representatives passed its major tax and spending legislation,...
Tracker: How the White House and DOGE Are Cutting Kentucky Jobs and Services
The Trump administration, with the help of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is...
U.S. House Tax Plan Widens Inequality by Extending and Expanding Breaks for the Wealthiest
Last week, leaders in the House released their proposed bill to extend and expand tax...
Criminal Justice
The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky
Thousands of provisions in Kentucky state law, and untold local ordinances, make up a vast, hidden web of criminal legal system fines and fees that trap many people in a cycle of long-term debt and incarceration.
Children in the Balance: Kentucky Reforms Successfully Diverted More Kids from Detention, but Now Those Gains Are at Risk
Executive Summary In 2014, the Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill (SB) 200 with the...
New FBI Data Shows No Evidence of a Violent Crime Wave in Kentucky
Recently-released FBI crime data for 2023 shows a slight increase in total violent crime in...
More Kids Will Be Locked in Kentucky’s Troubled Juvenile Detention Facilities Due to Laws Going Into Effect This Month
Several of the most harmful criminal legal system policy changes in recent Kentucky history go...
Economic Security
Red Tape, Empty Plates: An Analysis of the SNAP Work Requirement in Kentucky
Recent state and federal policy debates around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have frequently returned to the requirement that certain adults report work hours in order to receive food assistance.
Slashing Federal Programs Would Deal Another Blow to Rural Kentuckians
Rural Kentucky, and eastern Kentucky in particular, is no stranger to extraction. For a long...
The Four Ways Congress Is Threatening to Cut SNAP in Kentucky
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps one in eight Kentuckians keep food on the...
Tracking SNAP in Kentucky
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital source of assistance that helps put...
Education
Kentucky Teacher Pensions Are Getting Smaller
Kentucky has fallen to 42nd among states in teacher salaries, and the average district is paying its teachers 20% less than it was before the Great Recession after adjusting for inflation.
Why the Legislature May Change What’s in the SEEK Formula
Senate Bill (SB) 6 in the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly makes the most significant change...
Federal Education Funding Supplies Over $1 Billion to Kentucky Kids Every Year
The Trump administration is reportedly considering dismantling the federal Department of Education (DOE), while Congress...
Teacher Pay Remains 20% Less Than 2008 Despite Small Gain in 2025 School Year
This school year, average district pay for Kentucky teachers is $13,888 less than 2008 once...
Health Care
Kentucky Faces the Nation’s Highest Number of Rural Hospitals at Risk of Closure if Congress Cuts Medicaid
If Congress' plan to cut Medicaid becomes law, Kentucky could lose up to $28 billion of federal funding for the program over the next 10 years, leaving hundreds of thousands without health coverage.
What the U.S. House Plan to Cut Medicaid Would Mean for Kentucky
The United States House of Representatives has passed a plan to reduce Medicaid spending by...
House Plan Contains Biggest Medicaid and SNAP Cuts in History to Fund Tax Cuts for the Wealthy
The U. S. House of Representatives is now considering a radical budget and tax plan...
Medicaid Is Crucial to Kentucky’s Economy
Medicaid plays a central role in the health care of one in three Kentuckians, but...
Jobs & The Economy
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 week, when the administration announced it was closing 99 of the program’s 123 centers across the country.
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...
HB 398 Would Weaken Kentucky Worker Health and Safety Protections
For more than 50 years, Kentucky has been one of many states that operate their...
