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$136 million for state budget at stake in house vote

West Virginia stands to lose a significant amount of fiscal relief if legislation that the Senate approved last week, and the House is due to take up tomorrow, fails to become law. The legislation which would provide $136 million to West Virginia, including $81 million in Medicaid funds and $55 million in education funds.  Read News Release

Business property tax cuts expensive way to create jobs

The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released a preliminary report to the West Virginia Tax Modernization Project highlighting how business property tax cuts are an expensive way to create jobs and could actually hurt local and county governments.  The report concludes that businesses look at much more than just tax incentives when making hiring and location decisions and that the proposed cuts would not help spur economic development.  Read news reports about the issue at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WBOY-TV, The Charleston Daily Mail.

Fast Facts: Racial disparities in West Virginia

African Americans in West Virginia face persistent disparities across a wide range of economic, labor, social, and health measures. Read a data analysis comparing various dimensions of well-being among African American families and their white counterparts here.  Read more.

2010 Health Care Reform Summit set

2010 Growing Healthy Kids ConferenceThe 6th Annual Growing Healthy Children Conference: The Health Care Reform Summit, is scheduled for August 30-31, 2010 at the Marriott Town Center, Charleston, WV.  The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy will co-sponsor the conference.  Sessions will focus on the recent health care reform legislation and what it means in West Virginia. 
Download the conference brochure
Visit the conference website

Coal industry costs state taxpayers millions in 2009

Impact of Coal on W. Va. BudgetThe net impact of the coal industry on the W. Va. state budget may be negative.  This report, co-issued by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and Downstream Strategies examines the impact and finds that the industry itself—including its direct and indirect employees—actually costs West Virginia state taxpayers more than it provides. 

Read the Report
Read the News Release

 

West Virginia elders living on the edge

Many of West Virginia's seniors, particularly those living on fixed incomes, are having difficulty making ends meet.  Two groundbreaking reports were released today at the official launch of the West Virginia Elder Economic Security Initiative.  This important Initiative comes at a time when many seniors, particularly those living on fixed incomes, are finding it increasingly difficult to age in their community with dignity.

Read Elders Living on the Edge: When Basic Needs Exceed Income in West Virginia
Read The Elder Economic Security Standard Index for West Virginia
Read Press Release

Center on Budget and Policy inaugurates blog

Why a Policy Blog? While there are a lot of media sources tackling the politics of policymaking in the state, there are few places where you can find a data driven discussion of specific policy proposals or of the larger economic questions that face the Mountain State.  The new West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy blog aims to provide that forum and to highlight important policy and budget information in a timely way. Let the discussions begin. Subcribe to it today.