The special session that once was focused on education reform saw a bill introduced and passed out of committee to help bail out a struggling coal power plant. HB 207 would exempt "merchant power plants" from the state's business and occupation tax. The Pleasants Power station in Pleasants County would be the only power plant…
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This past legislative session, the House introduced House Bill 3136 that directed the WV DHHR to apply for a Section 1115 waiver to implement Medicaid work reporting requirements on all non-elderly adults in enrolled in the program. If enacted, and approved from the federal government (CMS), it would force thousands of people who do not…
Last week, the WV Chamber of Commerce celebrated West Virginia's improving business climate, according to the CNBC Best States for Business rankings. According to the Chamber, West Virginia's improvement from 48th to 45th is proof that the Chamber's preferred policies are working. CNBC's rankings is one of several in a long line of business climate…
A recent article in Vox by David Roberts highlights how a coal mining bust in Wyoming is resulting in "vulture capitalism" as investors buy up bankrupt coal mines while coal executives receive large bonuses and the communities in Wyoming struggle with thousands of laid off workers, lost pensions, environmental degradation, and an undiversified economy. This…
A lawsuit that began as a long-shot challenge to the Affordable Care Act now has life and death stakes as it winds its way through the courts. This is a lawsuit that West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey signed the state onto, even though our residents arguably have the most to lose if the Affordable…
Every year, Independence Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate the freedom we enjoy, and to highlight the sacrifices that active-duty military personnel and veterans have made to preserve that freedom. It also presents an opportunity to re-examine the ways we can help veterans when they return home and re-enter civilian life. It's a sad fact that…
Governor Justice once again drew attention to a strong quarter of personal income growth for the state, with WV having the highest 2019Q1 personal income growth in the country. But, as was the case the last time the governor highlighted this particular statistic, there is more to the story than one quarter's worth of data…
As state legislatures and officials around the country consider applying for Medicaid demonstration projects, or waivers, Indiana’s “Healthy Indiana Program 2.0” (HIP 2.0) is often touted as a more efficient way of delivering Medicaid services. But is it? When Indiana adopted the Medicaid expansion in 2015, it did so through a Section 1115 waiver which…
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2017 data on state public school spending that shows West Virginia spends less per student than the national average and less than most of our neighboring states. If you subtract out federal revenue, WV collects less education revenue per student than 31 states (including DC) and nearly $2,000…
Though the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 dramatically reduced the number of uninsured people in the United States in the immediate years following implementation, many states (including West Virginia) have been experiencing a turnaround. West Virginia especially experienced a historic decrease in the number of uninsured citizens. Now, nine years after…