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KyPolicy

@kypolicy.bsky.social
652 followers 141 following 505 posts

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KyPolicy for short): research, analysis, and education on important policy issues facing the commonwealth.

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Reposted by KyPolicy
Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 25/09/2026
Lack of state funding for school transportation is hurting school districts, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says.
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KY school district cancels class for bus driver shortage. Should there be more state funding?
Lack of state funding for school transportation is hurting school districts, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The soaring price of diesel is hitting Kentucky school districts hard. Fuel that cost Clark County $19K last year is now $42K. Robertson County is warning about "drastic changes" due to diesel prices. All while the legislature continues to underfund public school transportation.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Federal rural health funds can improve the well-being of rural Kentuckians, but they are not a replacement for lost Medicaid funds. If Congress wants to preserve health care capacity in rural Kentucky (and everywhere else), it will need to reverse the harsh cuts in H.R. 1.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
KY law requires the state to fund public school transportation. But for decades, lawmakers have suspended the law and provided an amount less than required. In this year's budget, the state provided $93M less than its own formula called for. These are the consequences.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Federal health care funds can’t stop the harms coming to rural KY hospitals from Medicaid cuts. Not only do the cuts dwarf the amount of the rural health funds, but those funds cannot even be used on the very things that will make rural hospitals financially vulnerable under these cuts.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Federal health care funds can’t stop the harms coming to rural KY hospitals from Medicaid cuts. Not only do the cuts dwarf the amount of the rural health funds, but those funds cannot even be used on the very things that will make rural hospitals financially vulnerable under these cuts.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The cost of living keeps rising, but many Kentucky teachers are seeing their pay stay the same. Because of the continued erosion in state funding for Kentucky public schools, a third of districts gave no raise to teachers and other certified employees this year.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The legislature has hit a wall in its effort to eliminate Kentucky’s income tax. Already, cuts cost the commonwealth over $2.1 billion a year and are resulting in huge shortfalls in Medicaid, cuts in funding for senior meals, ongoing erosion of funding for our public schools and more.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
High gas prices are making life hard on all working class people, but Kentuckians are really feeling the pinch. At a time when Kentuckians are already struggling with the cost of living, the gas price surge is further reason for public action to address affordability.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Wendell Berry’s death comes while his ideas are as relevant as ever. The tired labels of “liberal” and “conservative” are blurring, just as Berry always defied easy categorization. Our latest op-ed explores why Berry’s death should be his revival in our culture kentuckylantern.com/2026/09/07/w...
kentuckylantern.com
Wendell Berry's death should be his revival in our culture • Kentucky Lantern
Throughout his life, Kentucky writer Wendell Berry described death not as an end, but as a stage in a cycle of renewal.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 08/09/2026
The number of Kentucky law enforcement agencies with ICE agreements has increased five-fold since July 2025.
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Report: Kentucky immigration arrests soar as more police ink agreements with ICE
The number of Kentucky law enforcement agencies with ICE agreements has increased five-fold since July 2025.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
ICE arrests reached a record high of 443 in July as total ICE arrests in Kentucky since the start of the Trump administration approach 5,000. Increasingly, many of those targeted by ICE have no criminal history.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 04/09/2026
Kentucky tax revenues in the past fiscal year fell $1 billion short of triggering an income tax cut in 2028, marking the third time in four years the trigger was missed. The state even missed a lower threshold that would have lowered the tax rate by a smaller amount. #kyga26
lpm.org
Kentucky misses budget trigger for income tax cut by more than $1 billion
Kentucky tax revenues in the past fiscal year fell well short of triggering an income tax cut in 2028, marking the third time in four years the trigger was missed.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A prominent Kentucky law firm is touting a loophole that could dramatically reduce the local taxes that data centers would pay.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
As local law enforcement agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security increase, ICE arrests in Kentucky near 5,000.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This Labor Day, Kentucky workers face a stalled job market, flat wages and higher prices. Our latest analysis breaks down the state of the economy for working people in the commonwealth: kypolicy.org/this-labor-d...
kypolicy.org
This Labor Day, Kentucky Workers Face Stalled Job Market, Flat Wages and Higher Prices - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Working Kentuckians are in an increasingly difficult labor market in 2026, with no net job growth, rising costs and wages that aren’t keeping up.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 27/08/2026
Beshear: "These are some of the wealthiest companies in human history. They can afford the construction.”
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Gov. Beshear comes out against data center tax breaks.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEW: 'Unlawful camping' charges were up in the second year of Kentucky's HB 5, which made it a crime to enter or remain in a public area with the "intent to sleep or camp there." 2026: 460 charges in 41 counties 2025: 438 charges in 31 counties
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Data center tax breaks could cost Kentucky billions, but momentum is growing among legislators to end those giveaways.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Jason Bailey @jbaileyky.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
More coverage of the @kypolicy.bsky.social report on the billions of dollars Kentucky could lose from its tax breaks to data centers, from @kentucky.com www.kentucky.com/news/politic...
kentucky.com
Kentucky’s AI data center boom could cost taxpayers billions. Is it worth it?
Lawmakers expanded a data center tax break in 2025. Now, policy experts are questioning hand-outs to the world’s wealthiest companies.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 17/08/2026
Lawmakers expanded a data center tax break in 2025. Now, policy experts are questioning hand-outs to the world’s wealthiest companies.
bit.ly
Kentucky’s AI data center boom could cost taxpayers billions. Is it worth it?
Lawmakers expanded a data center tax break in 2025. Now, policy experts are questioning hand-outs to the world’s wealthiest companies.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Kentucky data centers can be eligible for a sales tax exemption on billions in spending. Here's how it works.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
More than 40 states currently provide tax breaks for data centers, but many are rethinking them. Kentucky, where a data center sales tax exemption could cost the state billions, should too.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Join us Monday to learn about data center tax breaks in Kentucky. Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/993128...
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Americans rarely agree on much, but there is sudden, shared anger about data centers across the political spectrum. Our latest op-ed explores what's behind this and what it means for Kentucky. kentuckylantern.com/2026/08/10/t...
kentuckylantern.com
The data center fight in Kentucky is about democracy • Kentucky Lantern
When the trickle of interest in data centers became a flood, and when the proposals swelled from small data centers to massive hyperscale complexes, concerned Kentuckians began speaking out.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Jason Bailey @jbaileyky.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
🚨Data centers have been touting the local taxes they will generate as a main reason Kentucky communities should let them locate there. But at the same time, a quiet but public legal strategy is under way that would let them *avoid* paying much of those taxes. See NEW from @kypolicy.bsky.social:
kypolicy.org
How Data Centers Could Skirt Local Taxes - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Promised local revenue from Kentucky data centers may be much smaller than advertised due to significant potential tax breaks.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
A lot has changed in Kentucky since 2009. It’s time for the minimum wage to change too.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
A state sales tax break for data centers, once estimated to cost $15M a year, could soon cost Kentucky billions of dollars due to much larger new hyperscale data centers. No data center in Kentucky has qualified for these breaks yet, and other states are carefully reassessing similar incentives.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Jason Bailey @jbaileyky.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Kentucky's tax break for data centers was estimated at $15M/yr, but the cost could easily balloon to *billions* with the massive hyperscale centers now being proposed. New @kypolicy.bsky.social brief on the incentive & how other states are rethinking their subsidies: kypolicy.org/kentucky-dat...
kypolicy.org
Is Kentucky About to Give Billions in Tax Breaks to Data Centers? - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Under current law, Kentucky could give away billions in tax breaks to data center developers.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Medicaid services provided at home and in the community are crucial for many Kentuckians with an intellectual or developmental disability. These services are available through “Medicaid waivers,” but there are many more seeking these services than the legislature has funded.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
From The Blowing Green Daily News, western Kentucky is seeing major challenges from federal SNAP cuts.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
NEW: Kentucky had the nation's second highest rate of food insecurity and highest rate of very low food security between 2022 and 2024, according to USDA data. Due to expensive groceries and SNAP cuts, the problems has only gotten worse.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Jason Bailey @jbaileyky.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New @kypolicy.bsky.social report identifies the counties at greatest risk of poorer health and economic loss from state and federal cuts to Medicaid:
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
State and federal Medicaid cuts will harm Kentuckians everywhere, but areas in the top 20% of Medicaid enrollment and spending are at the highest risk. We've assigned a vulnerability rating to every Kentucky county and the 38 below are at most risk.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
State and federal Medicaid cuts will harm Kentuckians everywhere, but as our new Medicaid Cut Vulnerability Index shows, areas in the top 20% of both Medicaid enrollment and Medicaid spending are at the highest risk of harm. Interactive version of this map linked below ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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Reposted by KyPolicy
Jason Bailey @jbaileyky.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
State and federal cuts to Medicaid will take coverage away from Kentuckians and weaken local economies that depend on health care jobs. Which Kentucky counties will be hurt the most? Find out in the new @kypolicy.bsky.social Medicaid Cuts Vulnerability Index kypolicy.org/kentucky-med...
kypolicy.org
Medicaid Cut Vulnerability Index Shows Which Kentucky Counties Are Most at Risk - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
While Kentuckians across the state will be hurt by Medicaid cuts, residents of these counties will be harmed more than others.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
How did your county spend opioid settlement funds in fiscal year 2025? Of Kentucky's 120 counties, 50 reported zero expenditures of these funds, which are meant to address active needs related to the overdose crisis. Those counties are gray on this map. See the link below for an interactive map.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Support for the Lee Specialty Clinic serves as a reminder that public employees work hard every day on work that benefits others. Public employees keep us safe, teach our kids and build roads. In some cases, like the staff at Lee, they are heroes who transform lives.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
“Talking to local partners, we knew that there was a concern that the local funds were not being spent, but we had no idea that it would be the 10 percent." www.wkyt.com/2026/07/03/k...
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
This Fourth of July, patriotism includes honoring our immigrant neighbors Check out our latest op-ed in the the Kentucky Lantern kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/03/t...
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Opioid settlement funds are considered restitution for lives lost and are intended to address communities’ active needs related to the overdose crisis. But too many cities and counties are either sitting on their opioid settlement dollars or spending them ineffectively.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
NEW: Kentucky local governments are sitting on opioid settlement dollars, spending only 10% of the $122 million distributed to them through fiscal year 2025. This is restitution for lives lost and should be invested to address active needs related to the overdose crisis.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
"We are struggling to keep the pantry stocked." Kentucky food banks are seeing a surge in demand as people lose SNAP due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Lawmakers made deep cuts in the new state budget. Now Kentuckians who rely on programs like Kindred Roots, which works with foster children in kinship care, are suffering the consequences.
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Reposted by KyPolicy
KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Lawmakers made deep cuts in the new state budget. Now Kentuckians who rely on programs like Puzzle Pieces, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities in Owensboro, are suffering the consequences.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Lawmakers made deep cuts in the new state budget. Now Kentuckians who rely on programs like Puzzle Pieces, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities in Owensboro, are suffering the consequences.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Tens of thousands of Kentuckians have lost SNAP since federal changes were implemented last fall. These counties were hit hardest.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Kentuckians aren't losing food assistance because they no longer need help. Instead, they're being cut off from SNAP due to the Big Beautiful Bill's harsh eligibility restrictions.
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KyPolicy @kypolicy.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
NEW: 42,870 Kentuckians have lost SNAP benefits since the implementation of the Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1) last fall. That includes 11,168 children.
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