House Proposes Still-Austere Budget That Freezes and Cuts Funding, Adds to Already Large Budget Reserves
The original HB 500, introduced late last month, was met with significant public criticism, including for its cap on employer...
Research
Understanding the Proposed Health Insurance Cut in HB 500, the Kentucky House Budget
As introduced, the House Budget (HB 500) inserts new and unprecedented language that caps the state’s contributions to employee health insurance, shifting costs to current and former state and school...
Who Is Hurt by the Health Insurance Cap in HB 500?
The House Budget bill (HB 500) as introduced caps state health insurance contributions, causing employee costs to spike by 78% on average for state and school employees and retirees. How many people would be harmed, where do they live and where do...
State Budget Cuts to Medicaid Are Unnecessary and Would Leave Kentucky Worse Off
As introduced, the upcoming biennial budget includes major cuts to large, state-funded programs as lawmakers contend with falling revenues from recent income tax cuts. Medicaid, as the second single largest...
Legislature Wants to Take Power From the JCPS Board While Cutting Funding to Its Schools
Legislative leaders have been critical of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in recent years on issues ranging from student performance to transportation problems and budget shortfalls. In response to these...
Here’s How Much the House Budget Would Cut SEEK Payments to Your School District
This analysis is based on the initial version of House Bill 500. See here for an updated analysis on the how the House budget would affect SEEK payments. As introduced,...
Amid Mounting Harms, Kentucky Is Ramping Up Anti-Immigrant Enforcement
More than a year in to the Trump presidency, the administration’s mass deportation effort has resulted in a historic high of 70,766 immigrants locked up in detention, and Immigration and...
How the Kentucky State Budget Works
The Kentucky state legislature has no more important job than passing a state budget. The budget allows us to come together to pay for schools, roads, state parks and many other programs and services that benefit us...
Initial House Budget Slashes Funding for Many Services, Prioritizes More Tax Cuts
As introduced, the House budget (HB 500) severely cuts or freezes many parts of the state budget and underfunds essential public services, with the apparent goal of triggering more income tax cuts under the legislature’s formula. The filing of the budget...
Property Tax Is Vital to Funding Schools, Public Safety and Other Local Services
Kentucky’s property tax is a cornerstone of how we fund public services that keep our communities safe, educated and healthy — especially at the local level. Approximately $5 billion is collected in Kentucky annually from property taxes, which apply to real...