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...
Research
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...
Budget Cuts Will Harm Services That Benefit Children
In the final budget agreement, the legislature passed the deepest cuts in over a decade to the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), which primarily exists to serve Kentucky’s most...
Last-Minute Tax Breaks Allow Racetracks to Keep Sales Taxes
As has become routine in recent budget cycles, the General Assembly added lucrative tax breaks for already well-subsidized industries in the final hours of the legislative session after meaningful public...
HB 732 Would Further Undermine Worker Protections and Job Quality
Kentucky already has a growing problem with worker misclassification, in which employers inaccurately and often unlawfully treat employees as independent contractors. These workers are deprived of their rights, protections and...
Senate Proposes to Ease Some House Reductions, but Austere Budget Reflects Recent Tax Cuts
The Senate’s version of the next two-year state budget eases some of the cuts included in the House budget, which passed in late February, by spending funds the House allocated...
It Can’t Be All About, Or In, the Base
As the 2027-2028 state budget continues through the legislative process, legislative leaders have repeatedly assured the public that key investments for programs like senior meals, childcare, salary increases, and increased...
Senate Bill 257 Would Increase State Costs While Taking Food Assistance From Thousands of Kentuckians
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is Kentucky’s strongest tool in the fight against hunger and has significant benefits for health and our economy. Last year Congress passed H.R. 1,...
Here’s How the House Budget Would Affect Seek Payments to Your School District
The House budget freezes school transportation funding and makes small increases in the guaranteed base funding level used to determine payments to school districts under the SEEK formula. Though the...
General Assembly Should Fix Underfunding of School Transportation This Session
School buses are essential to getting kids to and from school. In recognition, the General Assembly created a law as part of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) that...