How Kentucky Turned Away Half a Billion Dollars in Grocery Help
February 2023 is the last month many low-income food assistance recipients across the country will get additional help buying groceries...
Research
Top House Priorities Show Conflict Between Reducing Revenues and Rising Costs
The House's top priority (HB 1) in the 2023 legislative session is a bill to continue reducing the state's income tax, the source of nearly half of state revenue. Lawmakers...
Reducing the Income Tax Will Weaken the Commonwealth
House Bill 1 in the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly is the next step in a legislative effort to phase down and even eliminate Kentucky’s income tax. This policy path is...
Kentucky’s ‘Booming’ Bourbon Industry Doesn’t Need Another Tax Cut
Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry had a banner year in 2022, with announcements of over $2.1 billion in new investments and 700 jobs created, both record highs. According to the...
Testimony on House Bill 1: Tax Cuts Benefit the Wealthy at the Expense of Everyone Else
Pam Thomas, Senior Fellow for KyPolicy, delivered the testimony below to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Thursday, January 5. The committee was considering House Bill 1, which would...
Average Kentucky Teacher Pay Fell More Than 5% This Year, When Adjusted for Inflation
The modest raises provided by most districts this school year were not enough for average teacher pay to keep up with rapid inflation, KyPolicy analysis of new data from the...
More Than 3,400 Struggling Parents Denied Food Assistance for Falling Behind on Child Support
Since March 2022, more than 3,400 Kentuckians have lost food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because the state now bans parents who are behind on child support...
Mirage of Inflation-Driven Surpluses Is No Basis for Permanent Tax Cuts
Kentucky is experiencing record revenue surpluses due to high inflation and temporary federal stimulus that spurred a faster-than-expected recovery from the pandemic recession. But under House Bill (HB) 8, lawmakers are...
Despite Growing Risk of Recession, Kentucky Will Slash Weeks of Unemployment Benefits by More than Half in January
Since the creation of unemployment insurance in 1938, Kentuckians have been able rely on up to 26 weeks of benefits, giving them the time and flexibility to find a job...
With Mounting Needs and Fear of Recession, State Should Suspend Tax Cuts
After many years of tight state budgets, Kentucky is now experiencing healthy but temporary revenue surpluses that are growing its rainy day fund, the state’s emergency savings account, to an...