Continuing General Fund Erosion Is More Evidence of the Need to Clean Up Tax Code
As a share of the economy, Kentucky’s General Fund is worse off today than before the last positive effort to...
State Tax and Budget
Year-End Revenue Results Underscore Need for Right Actions on Tax Reform
Kentucky ended the 2017 fiscal year with $138.5 million less in General Fund revenue than economists predicted would be collected. The shortfall puts slightly more pressure on investments in our...
New Study Provides More Evidence Harsher Penalties Are Not Solution to State’s Drug Problems
At the same time our state is increasing criminal penalties for heroin, a new analysis further bolsters existing research showing such an approach is not an effective way to address...
Senate Health Care Repeal Bill a Drastic Step Backward for Kentucky’s Health
The Senate released the discussion draft of their bill yesterday to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If passed, the Senate proposal would be a terrible setback for the 1.4...
Kentucky Public Pensions Are Not Expensive — If You Fund Them
A special session this fall will likely include proposals to cut public pension benefits, and new employees are especially vulnerable because their plans can be changed easily under law. However, such...
Kentucky’s State Budget Unable to Compensate for Massive Cuts in Trump Budget
President Trump’s budget proposal dramatically shifts costs to states they will be unable to afford, as shown in reports released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities....
Troubling Hints About Direction for Tax Reform
We don’t know yet the specifics of a tax reform plan the governor wants the General Assembly to consider in a 2017 special session. But this week, in a letter...
Kansas’ Experiment Yields Valuable Lessons for Kentucky
By Heidi Holliday You’re welcome, America. Our state, Kansas, just wrapped up a 5-year long experiment in governance from which the other 49 states can now glean some important lessons....
Pension Benefits Inject $3.4 Billion into the Economies of Kentucky Counties
As the governor and General Assembly consider additional cuts to pension benefits for employees, it’s important to understand the role such benefits play in local economies. In 2016, public retirees...
The Health Care Repeal Bill Would Double What Kentucky Must Pay for Medicaid Expansion
The American Health Care Act (AHCA) ends extra federal funding for states that expanded Medicaid eligibility, meaning Kentucky would have to increase its Medicaid expansion funding 111 percent to make...