The following blog penned by Ted Boettner, Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and Dean Baker, a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC. also appeared in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Over the last few months there has been a flurry of op-eds and articles from big corporations and Republican lawmakersarguing that state…
Blog
West Virginia Community Engagement Program Manager Caitlin Sussman MSW, LGSW penned this guest blog for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy as part of its coalition efforts to protect and strengthen food assistance that is being threatened by the U.S. House Farm Bill. As a Social Worker at a free health clinic, I…
With half of 2018 already in the books, now would be a good as time as any to check in on West Virginia's economy and recent job growth. As of June 2018, West Virginia's total nonfarm employment stood at 751,000 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 5.3%. While the state had been adding jobs recently,…
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for states to collect sales taxes from online retailers that lack a “physical presence” in a state. This was a huge victory for state and local governments, local retailers, and tax fairness. This ruling overturned a famous prior Supreme Court decision that stopped states from collecting sales tax…
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has long been recognized for being one of the most effective policy tools encouraging work and reducing poverty. In addition to those benefits, the EITC is associated with healthier babies, better educational outcomes, and increased lifetime earnings. These benefits are the reason why a growing number of states (up…
The West Virginia State Chamber of Commerce released an analysis of education spending in West Virginia, in light of the recent teacher strike over low pay and benefits. The report, subtitled "An Overview of Teacher Pay and Benefits, and Student Achievement," contends that West Virginia is one of the top spenders per pupil on education, with an…
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has been developing a model of performance-based funding for West Virginias higher education institutions, as mandated by the legislature. While 37 states have adopted some form of performance-based funding models for higher education, they have not all been successful, and have led to some unintended consequences. Performance-based funding models for…
A 2016 federal rule would have raised the salary threshold below which workers are automatically eligible for overtime pay—from $23,660 to $47,476 per year—restoring some of the coverage to inflation. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers eligible for overtime must be paid "time-and-a-half" or 1.5 times their regular pay rate for each hour of work…
Last week, the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) Task Force held its first meeting to address the growing costs of health care coverage for public workers in West Virginia. The growing costs of health care for teachers and other public employees was a central reason why teachers went on strike for nine school…
The 2018 regular legislative session was certainly one to remember. West Virginia saw its first-ever statewide teachers strike, a host of bad bills introduced, and a governor often missing from the statehouse at critical times. Let’s take a look back at what happened and how low- and moderate-income West Virginians fared under the capitol dome…