Blog

April 18, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Checking in on West Virginia’s Struggling Economy (March 2016 Edition)

West Virginia's economy has not been faring well lately, with reports indicating the state has slipped back into a recession. Nationally, the economy has seen some relatively strong performances recently, but low energy prices and declining coal production have hurt mining states like West Virginia. Here a some indicators demonstrating the state's weakening economy.West Virginia's…

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April 13, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Natural Gas Biggest Driver of Shrinking Severance Taxes

While some have blamed the state's budget crisis on the decline of coal severance taxes, declining natural gas severance taxes are also taking their toll. The decline in mineral extraction, along with a weak economy and major tax cuts phased in between 2006 and 2015, is the central driver of the state's weak revenue growth…

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April 8, 2016 by WVCBP
Lunch and Learn With Us This Monday!

Lunch and LearnJoin the WVCBP and the WV Covenant House on Monday, April 11 for Lunch and Learn!Bring your lunch and join us from 11:30AM - 1:00PM in a discussion about a balanced budget approach that includes an investment in shared prosperity. Lunch and Learn will take place at the WV Covenant House office on…

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March 17, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Revised Estimates Highlight Need for Additional $92 Million in Revenue

On Tuesday, Governor Tomblin revised his estimates for the FY 2017 General Revenue Fund Budget. Since the legislature failed to pass the state budget during the regular session, the governor is expected to call a special session sometime this Spring to pass a budget for FY 2017. Altogether, the FY 2017 revised revenue estimates for the…

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March 16, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Recap of 2016 Legislative Session

With the legislature adjourned sine die (or without assigning a day for further meeting for those needing all state business to be conducted in English,) now's a good time to look back at some of the bills made into law this past session. Here's a quick recap of some of the major bills passed by…

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March 11, 2016 by WVCBP
Session Almost Over, Budget Bills to be Taken Up Next Week

The Latest from the Golden Dome Several bills of interest are still under consideration as the 2016 West Virginia Legislative Session enters its final hours. Much talk this session has surrounded how to tackle the huge gap in the state budget. While the Senate has passed its budget bill, it is far different from the…

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March 11, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Comparing the House and Senate Budget Bills

With Governor Tomblin's proclamation extending the legislative session for three days to work on the budget, it is highly unlikely the FY 2017 will be passed before the end of the regular session on Saturday. Both the House and the Senate have moved their versions of the budget bill, with the Senate passing its version yesterday,…

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March 8, 2016 by WVCBP
A Review of Two Bills Before the 2016 Legislature

Why 10:00 AM Brunch is a Good ThingThis session, the State Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 298, which amends the state's current blue law by allowing restaurants, private clubs, and wineries to begin selling alcohol at 10:00 AM on Sundays, three hours before the current earliest time allowed, 1:00 PM. More commonly referred to as…

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March 2, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Who Pays for West Virginia’s New Tax Proposals?

There have been a number of tax proposals this legislative session, the two that have gained the most traction are the proposals to increase the sales tax from 6% to 7% for highway funding, and increasing the tobacco tax from $0.55 to $1.55 per pack of cigarettes. While the state needs revenue both for fixing its…

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March 2, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
What All is in the Road Funding Bill?

Earlier this week, a bill began moving to increase revenue for the State Road Fund. Senate Bill 555  includes a number of provisions, some included in the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission report, that raise revenue for road work in West Virginia. The bill is on 3rd reading today.In its original form, SB 555 increased the gas tax…

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