Articles that dig into an issue, policy, or story, and present relevant research and insights.
The primary election in Kentucky was, overall, a success. Allowing voting by mail kept people safe during a pandemic and increased turnout at the same time. There were certainly issues [https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article243731882.html]. Ballots took too long to receive. Early voting hours in many places
Under a bill proposed in the 2020 General Assembly, bystander videos depicting acts of violence by police officers resulting in death would have been inaccessible in Kentucky if in the hands of a public agency.
Last week, Republicans in the state Senate debuted SB2 [https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/20RS/sb2/orig_bill.pdf], a law requiring voters to possess a photo ID in order to cast a ballot. Supported by newly-elected Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams, SB2 appears to be part
Local governments across the country are in a frenzy. The cause of this excitement is a program establishing “Opportunity Zones” in hopes of spurring development in economically tenuous communities. Opportunity Zones (OZs) were added to the tax code as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The
A law enacted in 1974 for the important purpose of protecting student privacy has been bastardized by some Kentucky universities to avoid accountability and evade their duty of candor to the public.
As 2019 begins, 19 states are raising their minimum wages, and several more are scheduled to raise them later this year. Many of these states already have minimum wages above the federal level of $7.25 and are undergoing their second or third round of wage increases. This leaves 21
The ability to freely cast a ballot is fundamental to democracy. While most adults in the US have the right to vote (those convicted of felonies [https://forwardky.com/time-to-restore-felon-voting-rights/] being a major exclusion), many in this country still face serious practical barriers to casting a ballot. One group facing
Much has been made recently about “ban the box” legislation, which prohibits potential employers from asking about a person’s criminal history on job applications. Employers can still make an inquiry, but only in later stages of the job application process when a person can explain the situation rather than
In the United States, there are around 6.1 million people who are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, including 3.1 million who have completed their sentences. This represents about 2.5% of the total voting age population. While staggering enough on their own, the numbers are even more
In 2013, our state got out of the private prison business. On economic grounds, on effectiveness grounds, and especially on moral grounds, it was the right decision. Today, that decision is being challenged, both by lobbyists looking to expand back into Kentucky, and by government officials forgetting the lessons of
Are you sick of Big Money in politics? Are you tired of good candidates without money being tsunamied by bad candidates with millions? There is a way to change this, and it is something we can do right here in Kentucky: publicly funded elections. It is becoming increasingly common around
Dear leges: Why jump to #107, and skip the first 106 improvements? Are you pushing charter schools for some reason OTHER THAN learning improvement?
I recently discussed the need for paid family leave, its benefits for children and parents, and the overall popularity of the policy. I also argued that Louisville and Kentucky have an opportunity to be on the front end on the policy debate. Seeing its successful implementation in other areas, there
In 1993, Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law. At the time, the bill was a positive step forward for workers in the US, giving people the ability to take time off of work for the birth of a child or to care for a
Climate change is here, and going to get much worse. In light of that, what questions do we need to be asking of our local and state governments?
Payday loan businesses have been around for years. Even so, many Americans have no idea about these establishments. Are they a problem? Do they need fixing? Yes, and yes. Read on and you'll see why.
