Most Kentucky School Districts Will Receive Less in State SEEK Payments Next Year
School districts across Kentucky face challenges as they craft their budgets for the 2026-2027 year, and falling state funding is...
Analysis
A 2022 State Law Slashed Unemployment Insurance, Now Kentuckians Are Running Out of Benefits
In 2022, the General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 4, a sweeping cut to Kentucky’s unemployment insurance program that reduced the number of weeks workers could claim jobless benefits. For...
Growing Death Rate and International Immigration Are Driving Recent Kentucky Population Trends
Over the past five years, Kentucky’s population grew by 2.2% according to new Census data, ranking the commonwealth 23rd among states. A closer look at the components of population growth...
Fayette County Schools Debate Is Missing the Context of State Funding Cuts
For the last year, Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) has been in the middle of a heated public debate over the district's budget. FCPS reported a $16 million budget shortfall...
The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Mass Deportation: What’s at Risk in Kentucky
More than 230,000 people in Kentucky, 4% of the state’s population, are immigrants. [efn_note]KyPolicy analysis of 2024 American Community Survey 1-year microdata estimates. Of the 230,000 immigrants in Kentucky, 81,000...
The General Assembly Missed an Opportunity to Address Hunger in Kentucky
Hunger is worsening in Kentucky, following national trends, and yet 63,000 fewer Kentuckians are receiving food assistance due to the cuts passed by Congress last summer in H.R.1. This comes...
Kentucky Has Had No Net Job Growth Over the Last Two Years
Kentucky's job growth has stalled, with new federal data showing no net job increases in the state over the last two years. After a robust recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,...
On Session’s Final Day, Lawmakers Pass New Tax Breaks for Already-Subsidized Industries
In the final hours of the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly passed HB 869. This is the second voluminous revenue bill enacted in less than two weeks, pushed through...
Budget Agreement Cuts and Freezes Funding for Most Services, Continues to Underfund Medicaid
The legislative chambers have agreed to a new two-year state budget (HB 500, later amended by SB 197) that includes 7% cuts to many state agencies. The agreement falls $691...
Kentuckians Hit Hard by Rising Gas Prices
The United States war in Iran has caused a spike in gas prices that now costs Kentuckians $175 million a month, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That's an additional $46.69 each month for...