Small Budget Surplus Provides Little Reason to Celebrate
Kentucky ended fiscal year 2013 with a $70.6 million surplus in the General Fund – about $30.6 million from lower-than-expected spending in a few areas and $40 million from revenue growth that slightly...
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Improving Reentry in Kentucky through Education and Supports for Inmates and...
With nearly 31 percent of Kentucky’s former inmates recidivating—returning to prison—within two years, a new policy report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP) recommends that the state...
View ArticleAnother Bad Year for Kentucky Workers' Wages
Real wages for Kentucky workers fell again last year, continuing a slide that began in 2001. Congress’ unwillingness to spur a stronger economic recovery and act on policies like raising the minimum...
View ArticleKentucky's Joblessness a Big Reason to Protect SNAP
House Republican leaders are calling for even deeper cuts to the food stamps program, known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), after the cuts they considered last month didn’t go far...
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Revenue Forecast Shows Continued Deterioration of State Tax System
The new long-term revenue forecast of the state’s Consensus Forecasting Group (CFG) suggests that Kentucky’s tax system will continue to deteriorate over the next four years, meaning tight funding for...
View ArticleInvesting in Education Will Build a Stronger State Economy
The best way for Kentucky to grow its economy is by investing in a well-educated workforce, according to a new paper from the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), a project of the Economic...
View ArticleGraphic: New Revenue Wouldn't Even Cover Basic Costs
The graphic below shows that the modest revenue growth recently predicted for the first year of the next budget ($259 million) is not enough to cover even Kentucky’s most basic costs. Among the state’s...
View ArticleOp-Ed: Kentucky Workers Face Eroding Wages and Too Few Jobs
On Labor Day many Kentuckians pause from their daily responsibilities to celebrate the contributions workers make to our state and our nation. But today also gives cause to reflect on the substantial...
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New Data: One in Six Households in Kentucky Struggle Against Hunger
15.6 percent of Kentucky households report serious problems affording adequate nutritious food, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture today covering the last three years....
View ArticleKentucky's Income Tax Critical to Preventing Deeper Budget Cuts
The recession and weak recovery combined with an inadequate state tax system have led to $1.6 billion in state budget cuts over the last few years. But the situation would've been much worse if it...
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Kentucky Among States that Have Substantially Cut Funding for Schools
Kentucky ranks fourteenth worst in the country in the depth of cuts to school funding since the start of the recession, and is one of fifteen states that have continued to cut K-12 funding in the...
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Census: Number of Poor Kentuckians Remains High, Incomes Stagnant
Poverty in Kentucky remained high in 2012 and median income in the state is 6.4 percent below its pre-recession level, according to data released today by the Census Bureau. The numbers show that...
View ArticleHealth Reform Is Increasing Coverage in Kentucky with More Gains Soon to Come
595,000 Kentuckians, or 13.9 percent of the state’s population, had no health insurance in 2012, according to data released today by the Census Bureau. But the new data also show that the Affordable...
View ArticleTestimony: Local Option Sales Tax
The proposal for a constitutional amendment to allow local option sales taxes should be viewed in a broader context and with considerations for tax fairness, revenue sustainability and the need for...
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Kentucky Scores Poorly in Report on Women’s Well-Being
Kentucky gets a D+ and ranks behind two-thirds of other states in terms of women’s status, according to a recent report by the Center for American Progress. The detailed report card breaks down...
View ArticleRevenue Forecast for Next Budget Remains Weak
Today the official group charged with forecasting state revenue again approved a very modest General Fund revenue estimate for the upcoming two-year budget. Compared to the draft forecast they chose in...
View ArticleKentucky Fast Food Workers Struggle with Low Wages While Industry Does Well
Kentucky's 32,000 frontline fast-food workers make such low wages that 46 percent of them qualify for low-income public assistance programs at a cost of $115 million in 2011, according to a new report...
View ArticleKentucky Among States with Biggest Coverage Assistance from Health Reform
Kentucky is one of three states in the nation where more than four out of five of the uninsured will be eligible for health coverage assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a...
View ArticleBudget Cuts Further Widen Education Funding Gaps
Cuts to state and federal funding for education are leading to greater reliance on local revenue sources and exacerbating funding inequity between school districts, as described in a Louisville...
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875,000 Kentuckians to See a Cut in Food Assistance Beginning Today
Beginning today, 875,000 Kentuckians will see their food assistance benefits cut when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps)...
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