Kentucky Remains Long Way from Employment Recovery
New estimates show that Kentucky has added on average 1,500 net new jobs a month for the last six months...
Research
Revenue Recovery from Great Recession is Slow
The debate over pensions in Frankfort hinges in part on whether the state should raise additional revenue to help make the pension payment or dig into the rest of the...
Not Paying Pension Bills Adds Up
A major contributor to Kentucky's pension funding problem is the legislature's failure to make the full required contribution to the retirement system in recent years. Shortfalls in payments started as...
Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit Workers Across Kentucky’s Economy
If Kentucky moves forward with the Medicaid expansion, uninsured workers across Kentucky's economy could gain health coverage. Workers at restaurants, construction sites, grocery stores and child care centers are among...
Retirement System’s Investment Return Assumption is Reasonable
One concern being raised in Frankfort about the existing defined benefit pension plan is that if the retirement system does not meet its expected rate of return of 7.75 percent...
New Projections Say Senate Pension Bill Is $206 Million More Expensive than House Plan
The Senate version of pension legislation will cost $206 million more than the House version over the next 20 years according to analysis of the new actuarial projections for Senate...
Lottery Funds Not Adequately Supporting State Financial Aid Programs
The House has recently identified new lottery funds as a potential source of revenue to help pay down Kentucky’s pension liability. Whatever happens with that proposal, it’s important to understand...
Gambling Revenues Are No Substitute for Tax Reform
The House has proposed generating new revenues for the state pension system by expanding the lottery and utilizing revenues from instant racing. However, the plan generates only a portion of...
Income Tax Cuts No Way to Grow Small Businesses
The claim that cutting state income taxes is an effective strategy to help small businesses create jobs is discredited in a new report released by the Center on Budget Policy...
Bill Would Be a Step Toward Greater Accountability for Tax Breaks
Legislation introduced in the House proposes new reporting requirements for some economic development incentive programs, and is a step in the right direction toward greater scrutiny of these costly financial...