Research that works for Kentucky
House Budget Plan Includes Largest Ever Cut to Federal Food Assistance
The House budget plan includes huge cuts to federal food assistance, the largest reduction ever proposed in the history of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Budget & Tax
House Budget Plan Includes Largest Ever Cut to Federal Food Assistance
The House budget plan includes huge cuts to federal food assistance, the largest reduction ever...
Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Would Blow Massive Hole in State Budget
Congress is considering huge cuts to vital federal programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition...
The Wealthiest Kentuckians Would Be Runaway Winners from Federal Tax Cut Extension
The 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provided substantial windfalls to America’s highest...
Criminal Justice
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 goal of reforming the state’s juvenile justice system.
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...
The 2024 Kentucky General Assembly Was the Most Regressive for Criminal Legal System Policies in Recent Memory
More than any legislative session in recent memory, the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly doubled down...
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
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 in the history of the core school funding formula created by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), known as Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK).
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...
Kentucky Voters Buried Private School Vouchers. One More Idea Must Die to Truly Reinvest in Our Public Schools
Despite the best efforts of anti-public school activists and the deep pockets of out-of-state billionaires,...
Health Care
What the U.S. House Plan to Cut Medicaid Would Mean for Kentucky
The United States House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee released its plan to reduce Medicaid spending by $715 billion through new layers of red tape and reduced care this week.
Medicaid Is Crucial to Kentucky’s Economy
Medicaid plays a central role in the health care of one in three Kentuckians, but...
Federal Funding Cuts to Medicaid and Public Health Will Worsen Kentucky’s Opioid Crisis
Drug overdose deaths have declined in recent years both nationally and in Kentucky, but that...
Taking Medicaid Away Through Work Reporting Requirements Would Harm Kentucky
Policies requiring Medicaid participants to report the number of hours they work in order to...
Jobs & The Economy
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 factories in Jamestown, Frankfort, Campbellsville, Franklin, Greensburg, Princeton and Bowling Green. In 1987, the company was the state’s second-biggest manufacturer.
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...
Increased Unionization of Kentucky’s Auto Industry Would Help Return It to the High Road of Good Jobs
Workers at the Ford/BlueOval SK (BOSK) battery plant in Glendale, Kentucky have filed a petition...
