Increasing Kentucky’s Minimum Wage Would Help One in Four Workers Make Ends Meet
The decline in the real value of the minimum wage for tipped and non-tipped workers has been contributing to poverty...
Research
Presentation: Kentucky State Budget Briefing
On January 24, KCEP held a State Budget Briefing that included a presentation describing the revenue context of the current budget situation, outlining past budget cuts and including some analysis...
Our Commonwealth: A Primer on the Kentucky State Budget
What is the Budget of the Commonwealth? Where does the money come from and for what does it pay? What are the processes by which the budget is made? The...
Governor’s Austere Budget Gives Small Bump to K-12, Cuts Funding for Many Areas
Governor Beshear's Executive Budget proposal provides a small amount of additional funding to K-12 education but not enough to fully restore the impact of six years of cuts and frozen...
Statement on Governor Beshear’s State of the Commonwealth Address
KCEP Director Jason Bailey released the following statement on Governor Beshear's State of the Commonwealth address: "Governor Beshear rightly focused his speech on the need for more resources to help...
Budget Preview Report: Kentucky Faces Choice of Reinvestment or Retrenchment in Next State Budget
Kentucky faces more cuts and continued underinvestment in critical services in the next two-year state budget unless lawmakers generate additional revenue, as outlined in KCEP’s new comprehensive budget preview report....
Official Revenue Estimate for Next Budget Slightly Worse than Weak October Forecast
The group of economists charged with predicting how much revenue Kentucky will have in the coming budget cycle approved a very modest revenue forecast for the next budget that’s slightly...
New Report Shows Continued Higher Education Gaps for Disadvantaged Students Alongside Funding Cuts
The state’s most recent accountability report for higher education—released this week—shows some progress in many areas but big challenges in college affordability and in addressing postsecondary degree attainment gaps for...
Cut-off in Unemployment Benefits Would Hurt Thousands of Kentuckians and the Economy
53,000 long-term unemployed Kentuckians will lose crucial income support in the next year if Congress does not reauthorize Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), according to a recent report by the Center...
Vast Inequality in Wealth Means Poor School Districts Are Less Able to Rely on Local Property Taxes
The cuts in state and federal funding for education are hitting Kentucky's school districts hard, and many are raising local taxes in response. However, the same local property tax increase...