 | |
| Abbreviation | BIPPS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2003 [1] |
| Founder | Chris Derry [2] |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Headquarters | Bowling Green, Kentucky |
President | Jim Waters [3] [4] |
Budget | Revenue: $280,362 Expenses: $294,319 (FYE December 2017) [5] |
| Website | bipps |
The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions (BIPPS) is a libertarian think tank based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. [6] [7] BIPPS is a member of the State Policy Network.
In 2005, BIPPS launched KentuckyVotes.org, a website which provides information about Kentucky General Assembly bills, amendments and roll-call votes. [8] The website was launched after BIPPS successfully pushed the state's Legislative Research Commission to post legislative roll call votes online. [9]
BIPPS has argued that an increase in the federal minimum wage would disproportionately harm Kentucky as well as young, low-skilled workers. [6]
The organization has cautioned against the use of certain performance testing ideas in public school assessment programs. [10] [11] BIPPS opposes the Common Core State Standards Initiative. [12]
The organization has blamed the Kentucky General Assembly for the state of Kentucky's public pensions, which are among the worst-funded in the country. [13]
Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of several states considered a part of the Upland South. Kentucky borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, and Missouri to the west. Its northern border is defined by the Ohio River. Its capital is Frankfort and its largest city is Louisville. Its population was approximately 4.5 million in 2020.
The Music of Kentucky is heavily centered on Appalachian folk music and its descendants, especially in eastern Kentucky. Bluegrass music is of particular regional importance; Bill Monroe, "the father of bluegrass music", was born in the Ohio County community of Rosine, and he named his band, the Blue Grass Boys, after the bluegrass state, i.e., Kentucky. Travis picking, the influential guitar style, is named after Merle Travis, born and raised in Muhlenberg County. Kentucky is home to the Country Music Highway, which extends from Portsmouth, Ohio, to the Virginia border in Pike County.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is a public school district located in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and operating all but one of the public schools in the county. It is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Education, which selects and hires a superintendent, who serves as the system's chief executive.
Colonel Martha Layne Collins is an American former businesswoman and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky; she served as the state's 56th governor from 1983 to 1987, the first woman to hold the office and the only one to date. Prior to that, she served as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, under John Y. Brown, Jr. Her election made her the highest-ranking Democratic woman in the U.S. She was considered as a possible running mate for Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale in the 1984 presidential election, but Mondale chose Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro instead.
Kentucky Educational Television (KET) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is operated by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, an agency of the Kentucky state government, which provides more than half of its annual funding. KET is the dominant public broadcaster in the commonwealth, with transmitters covering the vast majority of the state as well as parts of adjacent states; the only other PBS member in Kentucky is WKYU-TV in Bowling Green. KET is the largest PBS state network in the United States; the broadcast signals of its sixteen stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The network's offices, network center and primary studio facilities are located at the O. Leonard Press Telecommunications Center on Cooper Drive in Lexington; KET also has production centers in Louisville and at the Kentucky State Capitol Annex in Frankfort.
Randal Howard Paul is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is a son of former three-time presidential candidate and 12-term U.S. representative from Texas, Ron Paul. Paul describes himself as a constitutional conservative and supporter of the Tea Party movement.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a program sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA) to promote the Bourbon whiskey industry in Kentucky. The KDA has registered the phrase "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" as a protected trademark.
The 2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Primaries for each respective party were held on May 18, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Bunning decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Congressman Ron Paul, won the open seat against Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.
Gregory Edward Fischer is an American businessman and entrepreneur who served as the second mayor of Louisville Metro from 2011 to 2023. In 2019, he was elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and in 2020, he served as its president.
Alison Case Lundergan Grimes is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was the secretary of state of Kentucky from 2012 until 2020. Grimes was elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Elaine Walker in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Bill Johnson in the general election. She was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2014, unsuccessfully challenging Republican incumbent and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. She was re-elected for a second term as Secretary of State of Kentucky on November 3, 2015, defeating Republican Stephen Knipper. Term limited in 2019, she was succeeded by Republican Michael Adams.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Matthew Griswold Bevin is an American businessman and politician who served as the 62nd governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019 and was the third Republican elected to that office since World War II, after Ernie Fletcher (2003–2007) and Louie Nunn (1967–1971). He is currently the CEO of Neuronetrix Solutions, LLC.
Mike Harmon is an American politician who served as the Kentucky auditor of public accounts from 2016 to 2024. He was previously a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 54th district. He was a 2011 candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, but lost in the primary.
Julie Raque Adams is an American businesswoman, politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate representing District 36 since January 1, 2015. She is a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and the Louisville Metro Council.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kentucky, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held May 17.
Andrew Graham Beshear is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of former Governor Steve Beshear.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who had been Senate Majority Leader since 2015 and senator from Kentucky since 1985, won reelection to a seventh term in office. He faced off against former U.S. Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath and Libertarian Brad Barron.
The 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. The Democratic nominee, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, defeated Republican incumbent Matt Bevin by just over 5,000 votes, or 0.37%, making this the closest gubernatorial election in Kentucky since 1899 by total votes, and the closest since 1915 by percentage. It was also the closest race of the 2019 gubernatorial election cycle.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2019, in Kentucky and Mississippi, and on October 12, 2019, with a runoff on November 16, in Louisiana. These elections formed part of the 2019 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2015. The Democrats had to defend an incumbent in Louisiana, while the Republicans had to defend an incumbent in Kentucky plus an open seat in Mississippi. Though all three seats up were in typically Republican states, the election cycle became unexpectedly competitive: Kentucky and Louisiana were seen as highly contested races; and Mississippi's race ultimately became closer than usual, despite being seen as favorable for the Republicans.
