Duane Goossen March 1, 2018 When Kansas legislators overrode a veto and reversed Brownback-era tax cuts, they took a huge step toward closing an enormous structural imbalance between revenue and expense in the Kansas general fund. Now, though, revisions proposed in the FY 2019 Governor’s Budget Report would widen the gap. A year ago, as … Read More

Emily Fetsch Feb. 12, 2018 Too many Kansans are not able to reach economic security. From difficulty finding a job to not receiving livable wages, people across the state struggle to make ends meet. But not every Kansan’s experience is the same. A new report from the Kansas Health Institute, Chartbook: Racial and Ethnic Health … Read More

Emily Fetsch Feb. 7, 2018 The U.S. Congress has been heatedly debating immigration, in particular whether young aspiring citizens (including “Dreamers”) should be eligible for citizenship. This is in response to the Administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which provides a pathway for previously undocumented young adults to live … Read More

Emily Fetsch Feb. 5, 2018 The Bad News: Kansas women, particularly women of color, are more likely than men to struggle to make ends meet and afford basic necessities. The Good News: Much can be done by policymakers and employers at the state level to strengthen the economic outlook for Kansas women. A new report … Read More

Emily Fetsch Feb. 2, 2018 Statistics show fewer African-American Kansans were unemployed in 2015 than 2010. But the unemployment rate among African-Americans remains too high. The Kansas Health Institute recently released a new resource, Chartbook: Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in a Changing Kansas. The report featured several economic indicators disaggregated by race and ethnicity, … Read More

Jan. 25, 2018 Kansans watched firsthand as Governor Sam Brownback’s “real live experiment” in tax policy turned into an economic catastrophe for the state. A report out this week from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers fresh details about the failed tax plan and the lessons that other states should take from our … Read More

Jan. 19, 2018 As the 2018 Kansas legislative session begins, it’s worth looking back at where we were a year ago, when the Brownback tax plan was still in place and Kansas had a massive budget shortfall. Lawmakers in the 2017 legislative session worked diligently to end that era and put Kansas on a path … Read More

Dec. 20, 2017 Topeka, KS – Following the Senate and House passage of the GOP tax bill, Executive Director of the Kansas Center for Economic Growth Heidi Holliday released the following statement: “Today, the Senate and House passed a massive tax plan that will reshape our nation’s economy for the worse, slashing rates permanently for … Read More

Duane Goossen Dec. 13, 2017 As of November, Kansas now has a new estimate of general fund revenue and five months of collection experience following the repeal of the Brownback tax experiment. What are the key takeaways from this information? Repealing the tax experiment made a huge difference. Income tax receipts dropped dramatically in FY 2014 … Read More

Heidi Holliday Nov. 27, 2017 Tax cuts for the wealthy. Extreme revenue loss. Deep funding cuts to schools and to other public investments that create thriving communities. Sound familiar, Kansas? It should. Just one year after Kansas voters began the process of rejecting the Brownback tax plan, and five months after lawmakers voted to end … Read More