Governor’s Budget Increases Funding for Relief and Reinvestment
Governor Beshear proposed a budget that uses $613 million in extra revenues created because of federal stimulus to provide targeted...
New Federal Relief Package Is a Short-Term Lifeline, But More Aid Is Needed
Congress has finally agreed to a new relief package that temporarily extends much-needed support to a weak economy and struggling families. It includes expanded and continued emergency unemployment benefits, rental...
Any Action on Proliferating Slot Machines Must Raise Artificially Low Tax Rate
A recent state Supreme Court ruling has threatened the operation of thousands of slot machines across Kentucky because they do not meet the definition of "pari-mutuel wagering” associated with the...
Kentucky Must Remove the Roadblocks to Unemployment Insurance — Our Most Important Economic Stabilizer
The torrent of job losses Kentuckians have experienced because of COVID-19 has thrown an unprecedented number of households into turmoil. As paychecks have disappeared, unemployment insurance has been a critical...
Kentucky’s Inadequate and Outdated Unemployment Insurance Taxes Need to Be Modernized
As unemployment claims surged in Kentucky due to COVID-19 related layoffs, the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) trust fund was quickly exhausted. Kentucky is one of 21 states and territories that...
Kentucky’s Too-Slow Economic Recovery Faces New Threats
New employment data for October shows Kentucky's recovery continues at too slow a pace to get the economy back on its feet any time soon. The expiration of federal aid...
COVID-19 Crisis Demonstrates Need for State Improvements to Unemployment Insurance in Kentucky
Unemployment insurance (UI) is one of the most effective programs available to help laid-off workers meet their basic needs and allow economies to bounce back during downturns. As a partial...
Kentucky Recovery Halted in September, Heightening Need for Much More Federal Aid
New jobs numbers for September show Kentucky's economy failed to make badly-needed progress last month as the effects of federal stimulus legislation passed in March continue to fade. The state's...
How Kentucky Should Spend Remaining Coronavirus Relief Fund Monies
The federal government provided $1.6 billion in Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) monies to the state of Kentucky as part of the CARES Act that passed Congress on March 27th. As...
Congress Can’t Go Home Without Passing a Strong Aid Package
Congress is set to adjourn at the end of this month, yet its biggest and most urgent piece of business remains undone. With the economy unravelling further from the continuing...