Tracking the Economic Fallout of COVID-19 in Kentucky
Social distancing policies and practices are protecting lives in Kentucky. In the short term, that means record job losses and...
Research
$2,000 Checks Would Provide More of the Relief Kentuckians Need
The December federal relief law provided checks of $600 per person, though many argued at the time for the larger amount of $2,000 per person. Now President-elect Biden and the...
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 relief to families and businesses hurting from the pandemic, protect...
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...
Banning No-Knock Warrants Is an Important First Step in Addressing Police Violence Through Demilitarization
Since the killing of Breonna Taylor by police in March during a drug investigation, public officials, community organizations and advocates have called for bans of “no-knock” warrants, which have become...
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...
Defeating the Pandemic and Building a Robust Recovery: A Preview of the Budget of the Commonwealth
In the 2021 short legislative session, the Kentucky General Assembly will be tasked with crafting a new state budget for 2022. In addition to protecting Kentucky’s existing critical services, there...
Tracking SNAP in Kentucky
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital source of assistance that helps put food on the table for hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians. As of 2018, in Kentucky...
Kentucky’s Inadequate and Outdated Unemployment Insurance Taxes Need to Be Modernized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...