As the federal government continues to disperse emergency funds across the country, West Virginia lawmakers and advocates alike must focus on how the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can further the state’s health, workforce, and economic recovery. ARPA was signed into law in March 2021. Amongst other provisions, the legislation includes expansions to food assistance, housing support, unemployment benefits, tax credits for working families, and…
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Recent data from the United States Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey shows a significant decrease in food insufficiency immediately after households received the first advanced payment of the newly expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), with the largest decline in hunger being among households with children. While the data is already showing the immediate benefits of…
On June 19, Governor Justice ended all federally funded pandemic unemployment benefit programs, 12 weeks before they were set to expire. The benefits -- which included an extra weekly $300 payment to unemployed workers, as well as extended eligibility both for workers who had exhausted their regular weeks of eligibility and for self-employed workers and…
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice experts and advocates have focused on ensuring the safety of incarcerated people from the virus. But even before the pandemic, jails and prisons were unsafe places for the people incarcerated within them. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) on mortality…
At the beginning of this year, West Virginia began offering a dental benefit for adults over the age of 21 who are enrolled in West Virginia Medicaid. This was a result of SB 648, a piece of legislation passed in 2020 which the WVCBP, the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition, and many partners and community members advocated on…
Federal student loan debt has more than tripled since 2007, jumping from $516 billion in 2007 to nearly $1.6 trillion in March 2021. West Virginia borrowers hold $6.5 billion of that debt. The freeze on student loan payments and the temporary zero percent interest rate have been a relief to borrowers since implemented in March…
This post was written by the WVCBP's summer research associate, Myya Helm. Throughout West Virginia’s history, labor unions have played a significant role in bargaining for higher wages and better benefits for workers. During the peak of unionization, West Virginia’s workers enjoyed higher wages, stronger economic output, and lower income inequality than workers in many…
This blog post was written by the WVCBP's summer research associate, Tamicah Owens. The closing of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, while necessary, created a myriad of issues for learners and parents. Teachers and schools in some areas were able to quickly transition to virtual schooling for students. However, some student populations suffered higher levels of academic losses…
While the COVID-19 pandemic created havoc in the state's economy over the past year, the state's revenue collections have exceeded expectations. West Virginia ended FY 2021 with total general revenue collections of $4.989 billion, which is $413 million above the original estimates for the year. And while Governor Justice celebrated the revenue report as being…
When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the closing of public schools in March 2020, there was an immediate and robust community response to make sure that children who received their meals at school would still have enough to eat. As uplifting as the stories about volunteers and restaurants providing these food resources are, they also shone…