Blog

November 3, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
What is West Virginia’s Economic Outlook?

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University released their annual Economic Outlook Report for the state earlier this month. According to the report’s forecast, West Virginia is expected to experience modest job growth, with employment forecasted to grow at an average rate of 0.7 percent per year for the next five years.  That’s…

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October 13, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
What is West Virginia’s Economic Outlook?

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University released their annual Economic Outlook Report for the state earlier this month. According to the report's forecast, West Virginia is expected to experience modest job growth, with employment forecasted to grow at an average rate of 0.7 percent per year for the next five…

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September 15, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
Cassidy-Graham is the Latest Attempt to Take Away Healthcare Coverage from Thousands of West Virginians

The latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Cassidy-Graham bill, would cut West Virginia's funding for Medicaid by $2.0 billion by 2027. This would undermine health coverage for tens of thousands of West Virginian's and threaten the state's historic gains in health coverage stemming from the Affordable Care Act. The Cassidy-Graham bill cuts…

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July 23, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Senate Health Bill (BCRA) Would Hit West Virginia Hardest

While it is unclear what version of the legislation the U.S. Senate will plan to take up on Tuesday (7/25) when they vote to proceed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) would be particularly harmful to West Virginians. An updated report from the…

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July 7, 2017 by Seth DiStefano
SNAP Helps Over 81,000 West Virginia Workers

SNAP plays a crucial role helping workers in low-paying jobs afford a basic diet in West Virginia. Each year between 2013 and 2015, an average of 81,000 West Virginia workers lived in households that participated in SNAP within the last year, according to analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. For many of…

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July 5, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Yes, State Government and Taxes Are Shrinking

When lawmakers passed a "bare-bones" state budget, some lawmakers  expressed that the state government needs to "live within its means" because of our "shrinking population and tax base." Other lawmakers have suggested that our state budget is too big and that we will need to "continue making cuts to programs and services" and that we should…

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June 30, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
Senate Health Care Bill Cuts Medicaid to Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich – UPDATED

The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the latest Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was introduced in the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2017, and is awaiting a vote. In its current form, the bill would eliminate most of the provisions of the ACA, including its tax provisions, and drastically cut…

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June 23, 2017 by Ted Boettner
A Short History of the 2017 Budget Crisis in West Virginia (So Far)

This week, Governor Justice said he would let the state budget become law instead of signing it because the budget contained so many cuts ( a "travesty") and that his proposed tax plans failed to become law. Governor Justice mostly blamed Democrats and Republicans in the House of Delegates, along with the Senate Democrats, for…

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June 22, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
Comparing the FY 2017 and FY 2018 Budgets

Earlier this week, this post covered all the changes in the final FY 2018 budget with the governor's original proposal, with the final budget coming in at $280.3 million below the governor's original proposal. But how does it compare with last year's budget? The FY 2018 base budget (General Revenue, Lottery, and Excess Lottery) totaled $4.653…

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June 20, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia Finally has a Budget

After failing to come to an agreement on a plan to either completely overhaul the state's tax system, or simply raise some revenue to close the upcoming budget gap, the legislature passed a "bare bones" budget over the weekend, ending the extended special session just two weeks before a possible government shutdown. The FY 2018…

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