Legislature to Pass Austere 1-Year Budget with Major Uncertainty as to Revenues
The legislative leaders meeting on an executive branch budget finalized a Free Conference Committee Report (FCCR) that covers only one...
Budget & Tax
Kentucky Not Prepared for Next Recession
Amid the spread of COVID-19 and resulting business closures and layoffs, a recession is under way and could be particularly harmful in Kentucky due to the state’s failure to adequately...
SB 1 Would Harm Kentucky Kids, Economy
After receiving a second reading on the House floor yesterday, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) continues to advance in the House, despite the harms to Kentucky kids and our economy...
Senate Budget Increases Rainy Day Fund Paid for by Reducing Spending, Withholds Teacher Pension Contributions Until Benefit Cuts Are Made
The Senate budget increases funding for the Rainy Day Fund by reducing funding for pension contributions for health departments and other areas proposed by the House in its budget. The...
Kentucky Response to COVID-19: Inadequate Rainy Day Fund Heightens Need for Federal Aid and More State Revenue
States set aside rainy day funds to draw on when economic downturns or crises hit. Governor Beshear may well need to tap the state’s rainy day fund to deal with...
Three Steps to Passing a Better Budget for Kentucky
The budget passed by the House mostly avoids another round of damaging cuts to programs and services that have been common since the Great Recession (with a few important exceptions,...
A Move from Local Occupational Taxes to Sales Taxes Would Be a Regressive Tax Shift
Some proponents of HB 475, a constitutional amendment to expand revenue options for local governments, say it will result in localities moving away from occupational taxes and towards sales taxes...
Bipartisan Interest in Tax Break Accountability
The lack of revenue with which legislators are creating the next biennial budget is an urgent reminder of the need to clean up the tax breaks that limit the amount...
House Budget Makes Adjustments Including to Employee Raises, Social Workers and Rainy Day Fund and Contains No New Revenue
The House budget plan includes many of the same priorities that the governor proposed, but contains a different emphasis in a variety of areas. Compared to the governor’s budget, the...
Revenue Options That Strengthen the Commonwealth
Currently, too many tax breaks drain money that is needed to shore up and sustain public schools, higher education and workforce development; teacher and state worker pension systems; preschool, child...