Even Big Cuts to New Teachers’ Pensions Would Do Little to Address System’s Funding Challenge
Even if the state were to massively cut pension benefits for new teachers, it wouldn’t result in meaningful savings to...
Presentation: The State of Working Kentucky 2015
Despite five consecutive years of job growth, Kentucky’s economy is yet to fully recover from the Great Recession and faces longer-term troubling trends when it comes to job quality. The...
Kentucky Sees Lack of Progress in Incomes, Poverty Over Last Year
Median household income and poverty rates continue to stall in Kentucky overall while numbers worsened in eastern Kentucky and among African Americans, according to new Census Bureau data released today....
Eastern Kentucky the Big Winner in Insurance Gains, but Rise in Poverty Shows Work to Be Done
New Census data released yesterday showed Kentucky led the nation in its drop in the share of people who are uninsured. More detailed Census data released today shows it’s in...
Pension Needs Far Exceed Likely Revenue Growth in 2017
The state needs to find $580 million more to make its actuarially required General Fund contributions to pension plans in the first year of the next budget, according to information...
Don’t Trust the Unemployment Rate: Coal Counties Edition
Kentucky is celebrating its drop in unemployment rate, which at 5.2 percent as of July is hovering at a level not seen since 2004. But since the unemployment rate doesn't...
Restricted Access to Unemployment Benefits Played Role in Paying Back Loan
Kentucky got the good news it has now paid off its $972 million loan from the federal government after the state's unemployment insurance program fell into the red during the...
Job Growth since Recession Continues, but Quality is Mixed
After major job loss in the Great Recession, Kentucky’s economy has gradually improved and the state has added 141,000 jobs since June 2009. The pace of job growth has picked...
Retirement Income Growing Much Faster than Wages, Spelling Trouble for State Revenues
Kentucky must begin an active search for revenue options to begin fully paying down our pension debt and make public investments that will move the state forward. One issue that...
Year-End Revenues Highlight Importance of Individual Income Tax
Kentucky ended its budget year with General Fund revenues $165.4 million more than anticipated, equaling growth of 5.3 percent from the year before. The individual income tax is the main...