If you scroll through social media or watch the news, you’ll see our members of Congress and special interest groups practically begging West Virginians to believe that the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR 1) is good for us. But West Virginians know a bad deal when we see one. This legislation takes away health care…
Budget Beat
The children of West Virginia are guaranteed a thorough and efficient system of free schools by our state constitution. However, due to the growing Hope Scholarship, declining state revenues, and disruptions to federal funding and support, this guarantee is at risk for the nearly 90 percent of school-aged children in the Mountain State that are educated in…
In July, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued guidance to states to move ahead with implementing President Trump’s executive order by creating a national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) information database including the personal identifying information of SNAP participants and their families. This guidance directed states to share the names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and addresses of people…
Quantez Burks is one of hundreds of people who died in a West Virginia jail or prison since 2020. With the permission of Mr. Burks’s family, the WVCBP created this report in his name to do what the WV Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) and state leaders have not: acknowledge the people who died in their…
In a Charleston Gazette-Mail story from July 10 about the growing cost of the Hope Scholarship, state Treasurer Larry Pack admitted something that has never been said aloud before. “…[H]is office believes only about 10% of the more than 10,000 students who received the Hope Scholarship last year were enrolled in public school before transferring to private school…
By supporting the sweeping reconciliation package passed this week, West Virginia’s Congress members have the shameful distinction of having voted for the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance in program history, despite representing a population and economy that benefits greatly from both programs. This is the most harmful legislation for the safety net and…
The U.S. Senate is considering a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that would enact the deepest cuts in history to Medicaid and SNAP—programs that hundreds of thousands of West Virginians rely on for health care, food, and economic security. These cuts would disproportionately impact families, seniors, and children in our state, threatening access to health care,…
The U.S. Senate will soon consider a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that would enact the deepest cuts in history to Medicaid and SNAP—programs that hundreds of thousands of West Virginians rely on for health care, food, and economic security. These cuts would disproportionately impact families, seniors, and children in our state, threatening access to health…
We at the WVCBP are closely monitoring the evolving federal budget process and its potential impact on critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP. House leadership recently delayed key committee markups on the budget package, including in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. These markups are now expected next week, the week of May 12. That…
HB 2014, Governor Morrisey’s “Certified Microgrid Program” legislation, remains under consideration by the West Virginia Legislature. The bill would take local control from counties and municipalities to enforce their own ordinances while diverting millions in property tax dollars generated from High Imact Data Centers. Instead of staying in the community to fund schools, public safety, and other local public…