LAWMAKERS HAVE THE MONEY TO DELIVER MORE FOR KENTUCKIANS

LAWMAKERS HAVE THE MONEY TO DELIVER MORE FOR KENTUCKIANS

Kentuckians believe in taking care of each other, no matter our skin color, our income, or which county we call home. But for years, our lawmakers have passed stingy budgets that prioritize tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations instead.

We can change that by demanding that our representatives deliver for us. And right now they have the money to do that. With nearly $4 billion piled up in the state’s so-called “rainy day fund” and another $1.2 billion headed there this year, lawmakers can easily afford a budget in the 2024 legislative session that meets more of Kentuckians’ pressing needs. 

We should strive for a Kentucky where every child has access to a great public school, our neighbors have a safe place to call home, and  every Kentuckian, of every race, in every part of the state, has the freedom to live with dignity. The only reason to continue sitting on the billions of dollars available right now is to pursue the destructive goal of eliminating the income tax, which would starve the budget and benefit the wealthy. This year, our lawmakers must prioritize delivering for our communities – not hoarding resources to fund more tax cuts to the powerful few.
































We can change that by demanding that our representatives deliver for us. And right now they have the money to do that. With nearly $4 billion piled up in the state’s so-called “rainy day fund” and another $1.2 billion headed there this year, lawmakers can easily afford a budget in the 2024 legislative session that meets more of Kentuckians’ pressing needs. 

We should strive for a Kentucky where every child has access to a great public school, our neighbors have a safe place to call home, and  every Kentuckian, of every race, in every part of the state, has the freedom to live with dignity. The only reason to continue sitting on the billions of dollars available right now is to pursue the destructive goal of eliminating the income tax, which would starve the budget and benefit the wealthy. This year, our lawmakers must prioritize delivering for our communities – not hoarding resources to fund more tax cuts to the powerful few.

























































































Kentucky has billions of dollars in unmet needs and the legislature has money available right now to begin addressing them. Here are examples of how the 2024 budget could deliver for Kentuckians:

Health Care

  • Fund additional Medicaid slots for people with disabilities
  • Increase pay for nurses and home care workers
  • Fund a strong public health system
  • Expand access to drug treatment and community mental health services
  • Increase funding for child and maternal health

Education

  • Increase core school funding to shrink classes and reduce funding inequity
  • Substantially increase pay for teachers, bus drivers and other school personnel
  • Fully fund school transportation
  • Increase funding for afterschool programs, mental health and social supports for kids
  • Protect child care access and expand access to high quality care
  • Stem rising college tuition, increase need-based scholarships and provide raises to higher education workers 
  • Create universal Pre-K

Housing

  • Address the statewide housing crisis through monies to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
  • Increase shelter capacity for Louisville
  • Fund housing in eastern and western Kentucky communities harmed by natural disasters

Community

  • Create a child tax credit to slash child poverty
  • Fund conservation of land and farms 
  • Fund increased community resiliency in the face of climate change
  • Pass cost-of-living adjustments for state retirees and substantial pay increases for state workers
  • Expand food access for seniors and students
  • Increase funding to enforce workplace and nursing home safety
  • Help distressed rural communities match federal funds for infrastructure and other needs

Kentucky has billions of dollars in unmet needs and the legislature has money available right now to begin addressing them. Here are examples of how the 2024 budget could deliver for Kentuckians:

Health Care

  • Fund additional Medicaid slots for people with disabilities
  • Increase pay for nurses and home care workers
  • Fund a strong public health system
  • Expand access to drug treatment and community mental health services
  • Increase funding for child and maternal health

Education

  • Increase core school funding to shrink classes and reduce funding inequity
  • Substantially increase pay for teachers, bus drivers and other school personnel
  • Fully fund school transportation
  • Increase funding for afterschool programs, mental health and social supports for kids
  • Protect child care access and expand access to high quality care
  • Stem rising college tuition, increase need-based scholarships and provide raises to higher education workers 
  • Create universal Pre-K

Housing

  • Address the statewide housing crisis through monies to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
  • Increase shelter capacity for Louisville
  • Fund housing in eastern and western Kentucky communities harmed by natural disasters

Community

  • Create a child tax credit to slash child poverty
  • Fund conservation of land and farms 
  • Fund increased community resiliency in the face of climate change
  • Pass cost-of-living adjustments for state retirees and substantial pay increases for state workers
  • Expand food access for seniors and students
  • Increase funding to enforce workplace and nursing home safety
  • Help distressed rural communities match federal funds for infrastructure and other needs

Kentucky lawmakers have been excessively stockpiling money in the Budget Reserve Trust Fund, which is commonly called the rainy day fund. There is roughly $3.7 billion in the fund now and the total is projected to rise to nearly $5 billion by next summer, or more than double what’s needed to protect against future economic downturns. That number will then keep growing rapidly unless the legislature better prioritizes more of Kentuckians’ immediate needs.

Over the past few years the federal government has provided necessary pandemic aid — over $45 billion came to Kentucky — that stimulated strong economic growth. High inflation also increased state revenues by driving up income tax and sales tax receipts. This happened all around the country and led to dozens of states setting records for revenue.

With receipts coming in so strongly, lawmakers have an opportunity to do great things for the people of Kentucky. But why have they chosen instead to hoard the money? The explanation lies in House Bill 8, passed in 2022, which established a framework for eliminating Kentucky’s income tax, our single largest source of state revenue.

The bill requires the state to build up the rainy day fund and hold down spending in order to reduce and eventually eliminate the income tax, the benefits from which would go overwhelmingly to the wealthy. Now the funds set aside have become excessive, and  lawmakers face a choice next session. They can continue to hoard resources to fund more tax cuts that enrich the wealthy, or they can do more to take care of our communities.

About Kentucky Together



To make a better Kentucky, we must invest in people, communities and our economy through vital public services. Kentucky Together is a coalition of labor, health, education and community organizations that believes the path to prosperity is abundance, not austerity.


  • AARP-Kentucky
  • Advocacy Action Network
  • Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
  • Appalshop
  • Center for Accessible Living
  • Children, Inc
  • Community Action Council
  • Fahe Inc.
  • Fairness Campaign
  • Forward Kentucky
  • Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky
  • Jefferson County Teachers Association
  • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
  • Kentucky Association of School Superintendents
  • Kentucky Association of Transportation Engineers
  • Kentucky Association of School Councils
  • Kentucky Council of Churches
  • KyPolicy
  • Kentucky Conservation Committee
  • Kentucky Education Association
  • Kentucky Environmental Foundation
  • Kentucky Equal Justice Center
  • Kentucky Government Retirees
  • Kentucky Mental Health Coalition
  • Kentucky Public Retirees
  • Kentucky Retired Teachers Association
  • Kentucky State AFL-CIO
  • Kentucky Sustainable Business Council
  • Kentucky Transportation Employees’ Association
  • Kentucky Voices for Health
  • Kentucky’s Voice for Early Childhood
  • Mountain Association
  • National Association of Social Workers — Kentucky
  • National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU
  • Operation Turnout
  • Owensboro NAACP Branch 3107
  • Progress Kentucky
  • The Women’s Network
  • United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227
  • AARP-Kentucky
  • Advocacy Action Network
  • Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
  • Appalshop
  • Center for Accessible Living
  • Children, Inc
  • Community Action Council
  • Fahe Inc.
  • Fairness Campaign
  • Forward Kentucky
  • Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky
  • Jefferson County Teachers Association
  • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
  • Kentucky Association of School Superintendents
  • Kentucky Association of Transportation Engineers
  • Kentucky Association of School Councils
  • Kentucky Council of Churches
  • KyPolicy
  • Kentucky Conservation Committee
  • Kentucky Education Association
  • Kentucky Environmental Foundation
  • Kentucky Equal Justice Center
  • Kentucky Government Retirees
  • Kentucky Mental Health Coalition
  • Kentucky Public Retirees
  • Kentucky Retired Teachers Association
  • Kentucky State AFL-CIO
  • Kentucky Sustainable Business Council
  • Kentucky Transportation Employees’ Association
  • Kentucky Voices for Health
  • Kentucky’s Voice for Early Childhood
  • Mountain Association
  • National Association of Social Workers — Kentucky
  • National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU
  • Operation Turnout
  • Owensboro NAACP Branch 3107
  • Progress Kentucky
  • The Women’s Network
  • United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227