COVID-19 Downturn Is Hitting Certain Industries and Regions of the State Especially Hard
Kentucky lost 15.5% of its jobs in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic with industries like hotels, restaurants and manufacturing...
What’s in the HEROES Act for Kentucky
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the HEROES Act, a bill that would provide the kind of substantial economic relief Kentucky and other states need in the face of...
Medicaid Has Responded Quickly to COVID-19, Congress Should Boost Support
In March and April, Medicaid enrollment in Kentucky grew by 67,216, largely in response to COVID-19. This sudden increase in participation is a good sign that Medicaid, as a health...
SNAP Participation Has Jumped Due to COVID-19 Economic Crisis, Helping Blunt the Harm
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation in Kentucky has increased by 110,292 people since social distancing began to reduce transmission of COVID-19. This dramatic 22.9% increase since February reflects the...
Nearly One in Three Kentucky Workers May Be Out of a Job
Although March’s official unemployment rate was 5.8%, once the unprecedentedly high volume of unemployment insurance claims made over the last 6 weeks is taken into account, Kentucky’s actual jobless rate...
Despite Some Progress, There Is Still an Urgent Need for Kentucky to Do More to Address the Potential Spread of COVID-19 in Jails and Prisons
Reducing the number of people in jails and prisons is increasingly a focus of state, local and also nationwide efforts to protect public health during the COVID-19 crisis. However, despite...
Kentucky Response to COVID-19: Help Families With Little-To-No Income Make Ends Meet With Emergency Cash Assistance
Kentucky, like all states, receives a fixed annual grant from the federal government called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that can be used to support low-income families with children...
SB 150 Would Cushion the Blow for Unemployed Workers and Our Economy
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing business closures and a drop in consumer spending that is resulting in major, widespread layoffs across every Kentucky community. The state could lose 67,000 jobs...
Kentucky Response to COVID-19: Protect State Economy Through Improved Unemployment Insurance
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked concerns about an economic slowdown resulting from widespread shutdowns in the global economy, and recent cancellations of large events in the United States. Continued economic...
HB 21 Would Protect Kentuckians with Preexisting Conditions If ACA Protections Lost
Nearly 1.8 million Kentuckians have a preexisting health condition that, if it were not for specific protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), could lead to them being denied coverage,...