Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress temporarily increased the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for more than 65 million children nationally, including 346,000 in West Virginia where it reaches 93 percent of children. Since July, most households with children have received $250- $300 per child monthly via the increased CTC, but the final payment was delivered this week unless Congress acts to extend the program. The CTC improvements via ARPA have driven historic reductions in child poverty and significantly decreased household hardship, progress which is at risk if the Senate does not pass the Build Back Better Act. This would result in a reduced or eliminated Child Tax Credit for the 346,000 children in the state currently benefitting from the expansion and would drive 50,000 of the lowest income children in the state below the poverty line or deeper into poverty.
Read Kelly’s full blog post here.
Hear directly from two West Virginia families who shared what the enhanced Child Tax Credit means to them here.
Learn more about why Mountaineer families are urging Senator Manchin to support the extension of the credit in this recent article featuring insight from our federal campaign advocacy organizer, Ash Orr, here.
Reports out this week that the Senate might delay a vote on the Build Back Better Act are incredibly concerning. The cornerstone of the legislation, an extension of the enhanced Child Tax Credit, would have historic impacts on reducing child poverty. In no state are the stakes higher than in West Virginia, where 93 percent of children qualify for this benefit.
Our statement below.
Join us for our 9th annual Budget Breakfast!
Each year, the WVCBP holds this fundraising event to provide analysis of the Governor’s proposed budget. You’ll hear from our executive director, Kelly Allen, our senior policy analyst, Sean O’Leary, and our keynote speaker, Brian Elderbroom of Justice Reform Strategies.
Please find further event details below. You can purchase a ticket for the event here.
WHAT: WVCBP’s 9th Annual Budget Breakfast
WHEN: January 21, 2022. Breakfast will be available starting at 7:30am. The WVCBP’s analysis of the Governor’s 2023 proposed budget will begin at 8am, followed by keynote speaker presentation and time for Q&A.
WHERE: Charleston Marriott Town Center (200 Lee Street East, Charleston, WV 25301)
WHO:
PLEASE NOTE: The cost of a single standard ticket is $50, but if you take advantage of our Early Bird Special (available to all who register by 12/31/21), you will receive $10 off.
We appreciate your support of the WVCBP and our work, and we hope to see you in January!
A recent piece from CNN explores “the paradox that the states most committed to requiring women to carry pregnancies to term tend to invest the least in the health and economic security of expectant mothers and children after they are born.”
“Almost all of the states that produce the most unfavorable economic and health care outcomes for children are among those poised to ban or severely restrict access to abortion if the Supreme Court overturns the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision.
“Most of the 21 states with laws on the books that would ‘snap back’ abortion restrictions if the court overturns Roe fall into the bottom half of state rankings on a wide array of measures tracking the well-being of children and families, including childhood poverty, low birth weight and premature births, access to health insurance for low-income mothers, availability of prenatal care and the share of kids enrolled in early childhood education, an analysis of public data sources shows.”
West Virginia is one of these states.
Read the full article, featuring insight from our senior policy analyst, Sean O’Leary, here.
This week, advocates, storytellers, and impacted West Virginians “toasted” our federal representatives for the policies passed that are improving the lives of the people in the Mountain State, as well as “roasted” our representatives and held them accountable for the continued needs of West Virginians moving forward.
Real West Virginians shared stories about how they have been impacted, how federal policies and changes would improve their quality of life, and what they need to thrive moving forward.
If you couldn’t tune in to the event live, you can watch the recording here.
The WVCBP’s Elevating the Medicaid Enrollment Experience (EMEE) Voices Project seeks to collect stories from West Virginians who have struggled to access Medicaid across the state. Being conducted in partnership with West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, EMEE Voices will gather insight to inform which Medicaid barriers are most pertinent to West Virginians, specifically people of color.
Do you have a Medicaid experience to share? We’d appreciate your insight. Just fill out the contact form on this webpage and we’ll reach out to you soon. We look forward to learning from you!
You can watch WVCBP’s health policy analyst Rhonda Rogombé and West Virginians for Affordable Health Care’s Mariah Plante further break down the project and its goals in this FB Live.
Earlier this year, our federal policymakers sent money to families so people can pay their rent and put food on the table, helped school districts protect teachers’ health and get kids back into the classroom, and boosted vaccine distribution—all of which will help accelerate our economy and address the immediate health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
Congress acted because we raised our voices together and demanded help. With short-term relief on the way, now Senator Manchin and Senator Capito need to look to our future and pass economic recovery legislation that ensures everyone can thrive, no matter what we look like or where we come from.
Our elected officials are negotiating recovery legislation now, so it’s time to make yourself heard again. Tell them you want our government to support working families and invest in our economic recovery by making health care coverage more available and affordable, permanently expanding relief for struggling people, and ensuring children get the support they need to succeed.
Please join us in urging Senators Manchin and Capito to support the Build Back Better Agenda by sending them a letter here.
