Laura Hales August 17, 2018 Safe, affordable housing creates economic stability for communities. Yet an increasing number of families have difficulty affording housing, despite having one or two wage earners at home.[1] When a large percentage of a household’s income is consumed with housing expenses, families are less likely to have enough resources to meet … Read More

Heidi Holliday July 13, 2018 On July 1, 2018, Kansas celebrated its “fiscal new year” – and for the second year in a row, this occasion is something to celebrate. Our state’s budget is recovering after five years of failed tax policy, and with that, our ability to invest in our state’s core services. We’re … Read More

Emily Fetsch May 31, 2018 This year marks the 50-year anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The FHA was part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, with the goal of ending racial discrimination in the housing market. While some progress has been made, federal enforcement has never been fully implemented … Read More

Michael Raven May 31, 2018 In keeping with the pioneer spirit, Kansans are not afraid of hard work. For generations, residents have worked to build roads, extract oil and natural gas, and feed the nation. Underlying this work ethic is the assumption that if people work, they should achieve financial security. However, new data from … Read More

By Heidi Holliday May 25, 2018 Last June, when a bipartisan majority of Kansas lawmakers passed comprehensive tax reform, we knew that recovery from the Brownback tax plan would take time. In the 2018 session, legislators made significant progress for our state, advancing good policies and rejecting proposals that would endanger Kansas’ recovery. Here are … Read More

April 30, 2018 Much of the attention this legislative session has been on the state budget and school finance – not on the effects of the federal tax law changes on our state. As the Legislature begins week two of the veto session, we thought we’d take this opportunity to define some key terms in … Read More

April 26, 2018 When the Kansas House debates the budget bill (House Bill 2365) on Friday, they should vote to remove an irresponsible provision added Wednesday night that would automatically eliminate most of this year’s budget work if the Supreme Court rules that school finance is inadequate. To refresh, Kansas is in the second year … Read More

Duane Goossen April 24, 2018 Kansas revenue estimators have revised the official forecast of FY 2018 and FY 2019 general fund revenue … upward! The new forecast should smooth the way for a quick conclusion to the 2018 legislative session, as lawmakers work to finish a budget and achieve adequate funding for public education. Individual … Read More

April 17, 2018 On April 7, the Kansas Senate passed Substitute for House Bill 2228. On its surface, this bill addresses issues from the federal tax plan passed in December. However, it also includes extremely fiscally irresponsible provisions that will cost the state at least $494 million over the next five years – revenue that … Read More

Duane Goossen April 16, 2018 The Kansas tax experiment, which played out from 2012 through 2017, deeply damaged Kansas finances. Income tax cuts choked revenue to the general fund and created a multi-year budget crisis. In 2017, lawmakers reversed much of the tax experiment, but many steps remain to be completed before Kansas returns to … Read More