Latest Research
The State of Working Kentucky 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn reshaped Kentucky’s economy in ways that are still revealing themselves thirty months after the virus arrived in the commonwealth.
Budget & Tax
Flood Relief Legislation Only a First Step, Leaves Out Housing Aid
A relief package introduced in the special legislative session includes over $200 million to help with emergency costs for local governments, schools, utilities, infrastructure and other needs in the wake of the devastating floods that hit eastern Kentucky last month.
State Must Go Beyond FEMA Aid to Adequately Address Housing Need From Eastern Kentucky Floods
The multi-colored houses on Knott County’s Rainbow Lane were reduced to rubble. Raging flood waters...
Kentucky Must Do More to Increase Flood Resilience
The catastrophic flooding that recently hit southeastern Kentucky resulted in the death of 39 people,...
Let’s Learn From Braidy, and Seek More Answers From Each Other
News that a company called Steel Dynamics will take over what’s left of Braidy Industries and abandon...
Criminal Justice
Position Announcement — Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Seeks Policy Analyst
Application review will begin on October 13, 2022, and continue until the position is filled.
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. Two years after...
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...
Economic Security
Tracking SNAP in Kentucky
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital source of assistance that helps put food on the table for hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians.
Despite Rapid Pandemic Recovery, Kentucky Workers Need More Support
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn reshaped Kentucky’s economy in ways that are still...
The State of Working Kentucky 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn reshaped Kentucky’s economy in ways that are still...
When Disaster Strikes, Disaster SNAP Helps Feed Kentuckians
In addition to the extreme emotional and physical toll recent flooding took on the people of...
Education
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, as the school year begins in many areas of the state.
Public Resources Should Stay in Public Schools
All Kentucky children should receive a high-quality education that helps them thrive. Because such an...
What Kentuckians Say About Student Loan Cancellation
Nearly one in five Kentucky adults has federal student loan debt. For these 616,000 Kentuckians...
Cancel Student Debt, and Recommit to Education as a Public Good
President Biden’s recent statements that he will cancel some student loan debt is hopeful news...
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.
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...
Addressing Corporate Power Is Key to Tackling Inflation
Inflation is straining Americans’ budgets. While the immediate cause is the COVID-19 pandemic, the preexisting...
