Blog

May 6, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Scholarship Tax Credits Share the Same Flaws with Education Savings Accounts

With this month's Special Session on education reform looming, Speaker Hanshaw has floated the idea of replacing one controversial policy proposal, Education Savings Accounts (ESA), with another, tax credit scholarships. Like ESA's, tax credit scholarships are another voucher-like policy that create financial incentives for students to leave the public school system and enter into the…

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April 29, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
The Where and the How of West Virginia’s Population Decline

West Virginia has made headlines recently for its continued population decline. And recently released population estimates from the Census Bureau show that only a handful of West Virginia counties have been immune from the dropping population. Between 2010 and 2018, West Virginia’s population fell by an estimated 47,000 people, or a decline of 2.6%. West…

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April 17, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
How Much Would It Cost to End Child Poverty in West Virginia?

More than 91,000 children live in poverty in West Virginia. At 25.5%, West Virginia has the 4th-highest child poverty rate in the country. The cost of child poverty is high. According to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, child poverty costs the U.S. between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion a year,…

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April 16, 2019 by WVCBP, Ted Boettner
Temporary Pipeline Construction Boom Could Spell Doom

Revised job figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that West Virginia has experienced relatively strong job growth over the last year thanks to the construction industry. In particular, the growth in natural gas pipeline construction has fueled not only this job growth and but also the state’s short-term revenue surpluses—especially during the last…

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April 15, 2019 by WVCBP, Kelly Allen
The Working Families Tax Relief Act Would Raise Working People’s Income and Address Issues of Child Poverty

Working families with low- and moderate-incomes often struggle to keep afloat  and many childless adults are often taxed into poverty. On April 10, 2019, Senators Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, and Ron Wyden introduced the “Working Families Tax Relief Act” that aims to expand both the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as well as…

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April 11, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
37,000 West Virginia Workers Will be Left Behind by the Trump Overtime Proposal

Last month, the Department of Labor published a proposal to set the salary threshold under which almost all workers are entitled to overtime pay to $679 per week, or $35,308 for a full-year worker, in 2020. While an increase in the overtime salary threshold is long overdue, the current proposal would leave behind millions of workers…

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April 3, 2019 by Kelly Allen
USDA Proposed SNAP Rule Would Harm Residents and the Economy

Click here to see our full comments on the USDA’s proposed rule. SNAP plays a critical role for food security in West Virginia, where 14.6 percent of the population is food insecure. In Fiscal Year 2017, SNAP reached 19 percent of the population, or 340,000 residents. Children who receive SNAP in early childhood see improved…

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March 29, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Natural Gas Property Tax Case Could Costs Local Governments Millions

The State Supreme Court heard several cases earlier this month on oil and natural gas property taxes that could have a significant impact on local government and school district finances, and also potentially impact the state budget. At issue is how the State Tax Department calculates production expenses on natural gas wells. When valuing oil and…

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March 21, 2019 by Kelly Allen
Registration Open for WVCBP’s Fourth Annual Summer Policy Institute

Our annual Summer Policy Institute brings together highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students for a three-day immersive learning experience. This year’s SPI will be held from July 26- 28 at WV State University in Institute, WV. Participants will: -Learn about vital policy issues affecting West Virginians. -Network with fellow students and policymakers from state government,…

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