Author

Dustin Pugel

Dustin Pugel

Dustin Pugel is policy director at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, where he focuses on economic security, health policy and safety net programs while providing strategic support for all of the organization’s policy campaigns. He joined the staff in 2015. Dustin previously worked for BUILD in Lexington, where he trained congregations to identify, research and advocate for policy solutions on a local level. He also spent two years providing policy research assistance for the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities. He has a BA in History from Asbury University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Kentucky.

COMMENTARY

Shorting state workers’ pay hurts us all

By: - March 14, 2023

Last year, the General Assembly provided the first meaningful raise to workers in state government in 14 years by providing an 8% cost of living adjustment. Though that increase was welcome, and helped keep state employees from feeling the worst inflation in decades, it was not nearly enough to correct a decade and a half […]