KyPolicy

Initial House Budget Slashes Funding for Many Services, Prioritizes More Tax Cuts - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy As introduced, the House budget, or HB 500, severely cuts or freezes many parts of the state budget and underfunds essential public services.

More on HB 500, the House budget bill: kypolicy.org/house-budget...

Kentucky teachers could see a $486 monthly cut in health benefits. Bus drivers could see a $535 monthly cut. State troopers a $394 monthly cut.

Health insurance premiums for state and school employees could explode by *78%* because of language added to the House budget, having a "devastating impact on all...members and their dependents," according to a new letter from the Personnel Cabinet & reported by @austin-horn.bsky.social 1/

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky's next state budget • Kentucky Lantern Improving this budget will be necessary, because there are grave problems with it as filed. And hidden among its many words and numbers is a choice.

Read it: kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/11/a...

In a new op-ed, Jason Bailey writes that lawmakers face a choice with the state budget.

Do they underfund public services to trigger more income tax reductions, which is what they're signaling with the first draft of the budget?

Or do they start putting Kentuckians over cuts?

Kentuckians Over Cuts Press Conference Join us at a 11:30 a.m. press conference to call for a state budget that puts Kentuckians over cuts. The House’s initial budget proposal is “bare bones,” in the words of one legislative leader. Among ...

The state budget allows us to build a better Kentucky, but the current House proposal fails to put Kentuckians over cuts.

The House budget chair recently invited advocates to put their “best case forward.” That’s what we'll do February 25.

Join us: actionnetwork.org/events/kentu...

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky's next state budget • Kentucky Lantern Improving this budget will be necessary, because there are grave problems with it as filed. And hidden among its many words and numbers is a choice.

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky’s next state budget kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/11/a...

NEW: As JCPS makes cuts to address a $188 million budget shortfall, our new analysis shows the district is losing $186 million a year because state SEEK payments have not kept pace with inflation.

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky's next state budget • Kentucky Lantern Improving this budget will be necessary, because there are grave problems with it as filed. And hidden among its many words and numbers is a choice.

Commentary by @jbaileyky.bsky.social @kypolicy.bsky.social

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky’s next state budget.
Who is Kentucky for?

kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/11/a...

A choice is hidden in the pages of Kentucky's next state budget • Kentucky Lantern Improving this budget will be necessary, because there are grave problems with it as filed. And hidden among its many words and numbers is a choice.

Important in-depth, fact-based budget analysis from @jbaileyky.bsky.social of @kypolicy.bsky.social: kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/11/a...

Legislature Wants to Take Power From the JCPS Board While Cutting Funding to Its Schools - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy While the state has required the JCPS board to shoulder more of the cost of funding the schools, lawmakers may take away their authority to govern.

kypolicy.org/legislature-...

SEEK payments to JCPS are down an inflation-adjusted 45% since 2008. The House budget proposal would make it 58% by 2028.

The state keeps requiring the JCPS board to shoulder more of the cost of funding schools, even as lawmakers try to take away the its authority to govern.

Initial House Budget Slashes Funding for Many Services, Prioritizes More Tax Cuts - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy As introduced, the House budget severely cuts or freezes many parts of the state budget and underfunds essential public services.

Our analysis of the House budget proposal: kypolicy.org/house-budget...

The "bare bones" state budget proposed in the House makes no plan to sustain SNAP after massive federal cuts. We need lawmakers to vastly improve this budget proposal and put Kentuckians over cuts. #kyga26

Here’s How Much the House Budget Would Cut SEEK Payments to Your School District - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy If passed, this budget proposal would accelerate a 20-year trend of eroding state funding for public education.

kypolicy.org/heres-how-mu...

By cutting state SEEK payments, the House budget will require school districts to either pick up the slack or, more likely, do without.

Click the link below to see how much the proposal would cut SEEK in your district:

As introduced, the House budget cuts over $100M from SEEK payments to KY school districts. That means $25M less to JCPS ($37M less counting inflation), and up to 12% cuts in state/local SEEK by district.

Find out how your district fares in the new @kypolicy.bsky.social analysis, link below:

Initial House Budget Slashes Funding for Many Services, Prioritizes More Tax Cuts - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy As introduced, the House budget severely cuts or freezes many parts of the state budget and underfunds essential public services.

Our analysis of the House budget proposal:
kypolicy.org/house-budget...

The "bare bones" state budget proposed in the House shorts Medicaid by $848 million. We need lawmakers to vastly improve this budget proposal and put Kentuckians over cuts. #kyga26

Amid Mounting Harms, Kentucky Is Ramping Up Anti-Immigrant Enforcement - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy A growing number of local police and jails in Kentucky are entering into agreements and contracts to cooperate with ICE.

More on ICE in Kentucky:

There are now 24 total Kentucky law enforcement agencies that have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE.

ICE in Kentucky Update

Five Kentucky law enforcement agencies signed 287(g) agreements with ICE in January. That’s the most of any month since the start of the Trump administration.

Prioritizing Kids Would Make a Big Difference For Your District - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy The Kentucky General Assembly has cut the state’s individual income tax several times in the past few years at a cost of $718 million a year. What could it mean for your district if the legislature pu...

Find your district here: kypolicy.org/prioritizing...

This budget session, we're joining Protect Our Schools KY to call for an additional $718 million annual investment in public education. That's how we move toward giving every child in Kentucky the school they deserve.

How would that help your schools? Fact sheets for every district linked below.

A new poll found Kentuckians are increasingly concerned about the economy and are viewing unions more favorable. Here's what we know: tinyurl.com/62uczrj5

Poll: Kentuckians Overwhelmingly Support Unions and Policies That Improve Job Quality - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Kentuckians want state lawmakers to enact policies that support unionization and improve job quality, according to a new poll.

More on the poll here: kypolicy.org/poll-shows-k...

Kentuckians know the economy is rigged for the wealthy and powerful, and that their hard work isn’t being rewarded. They want their leaders to prioritize making life more affordable, and they see growing unions and raising labor standards as essential to that goal.