This Legislative Session Threatens to Lower the Quality of Life in the Commonwealth
Every year, the General Assembly proposes a host of bills ostensibly aimed at improving Kentuckians’ quality of life. Though it’s...
HB 7 Puts New, Costly Barriers in Front of Kentuckians Seeking Food and Medical Help
House Bill 7 (HB 7) would implement several harsh measures making it harder to get and keep food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and medical assistance through...
Kentucky’s Jobs Recovery Is Very Strong — False Claims to the Contrary Are Being Used to Justify Harmful Benefit Cuts
Kentucky is currently experiencing a historically strong recovery from the devastating job losses that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By April 2020, Kentucky had lost 294,900 jobs,...
State Funding for Education Has Been Stagnant for Many Years, But the 2022-2024 Budget Presents a Unique Opportunity to Begin Reinvesting
In 1991, following a Kentucky Supreme Court decision finding that Kentucky’s system of funding education was unconstitutional, the Kentucky General Assembly responded by increasing taxes to begin reinvesting in Kentucky’s...
Statement: House Passage of HB 4 Threatens Kentucky Workers, Economy
We are deeply concerned by the House passage of HB 4, legislation that will harm Kentucky workers, families and communities, and lead to deeper, longer and more painful recessions. Among...
HB 4 Would Slash Unemployment Benefits, Harming Economy and Deepening Hardship for Kentucky Workers
Working Kentuckians have faced widespread, unprecedented layoffs during the pandemic that worsened existing hardship and inequities. Despite extreme difficulty in navigating the outdated unemployment insurance (UI) system, unemployment benefits have...
In the COVID Recovery and Beyond, Kentuckians Need a Strong Safety Net
The past two years have been hard on Kentuckians. In April 2020, nearly 1 in 7 lost their job and many more Kentuckians lost hours at work or faced quarantines...
A Decade Without Raises and Weakened Benefits Have Created a State Workforce Crisis. Addressing it Adequately Should Be a Top Priority in the New Budget
Updated on Feb. 2, 2022 Fundamental to providing services like P-12 education, legal defense and child welfare is the state workforce that delivers them. Despite these workers’ critical roles, Kentucky’s...
A Time To Invest: Preview of the 2022–2024 Budget of the Commonwealth
The General Assembly faces a critically important opportunity with the 2022–2024 Budget of the Commonwealth. The state has a historic budget surplus and unspent federal aid that provide the resources...
In Decade Since Major Criminal Justice Reform, the Kentucky General Assembly Has Passed Six Times as Many Laws Increasing Incarceration as Decreasing It
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of 2011’s House Bill (HB) 463, “The Public Safety and Offender Accountability Act.”[efn_note]2011 Ky. Acts, ch. 2, https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/11RS/documents/0002.pdf.[/efn_note] HB 463 was...