State Budget Changes in 2023 Session Increase Future Risk
The General Assembly reduced future revenues substantially this session by passing House Bill (HB) 1, a law that will further...
Research
HB 444 Leaves $110 Million On the Table for State Worker Pay
Last year, the General Assembly provided a badly-needed 8% raise for state workers in fiscal year 2023, reversing a 14-year trend of low or no cost-of-living increases. At the same...
‘Transplant’ Bill Would Give Large Windfall to Companies Recruiting Remote Workers
A bill aimed at relocating higher-income remote workers to Kentucky could cost the state up to $200 million and widen inequality without necessarily drawing many people to Kentucky who aren’t...
House Bill 3 Proposes Harmful, Regressive Policy Changes to Kentucky’s Juvenile System
A robust body of research shows that locking kids behind bars harms their mental and physical well-being, gets in the way of their education, makes them more likely to be...
SB 225 Proposes Much-Needed Changes to Kentucky’s Persistent Felony Offender (PFO) Law
For the last 40 years, Kentucky’s persistent felony offender (PFO) law has added decades to prison sentences of convicted Kentuckians, contributing significantly to Kentucky's much-too high incarceration rate. Advocates have...
House Bill 353 Would Save Lives by Decriminalizing Fentanyl Testing Strips
With overdose deaths on the rise, and a growing need to assist Kentuckians battling substance use disorder, the General Assembly has an opportunity to move the state in a positive...
Nearly 250,000 Kentuckians Covered by Medicaid Will Need to Take Action to Stay Covered
For the past three years, 1.7 million Kentuckians on Medicaid have not had to take action to keep their health care coverage. Since that time, thanks to a policy designed...
Eastern Kentucky Needs Legislature’s Help to Address Post-Flood Housing Crisis
Catastrophic floods wreaked havoc in eastern Kentucky last July, killing 44 people and requiring 1,334 more to be rescued by boat and helicopter. The floods also destroyed or seriously damaged...
Ailing Juvenile System Needs Investment and Care, Not Harsher Penalties
The bipartisan working group on Kentucky’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) wrapped up last week, and the legislature heads back into session tomorrow. There are several key issues to keep...
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 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in Kentucky that aid ended...