Last week, Gov. Jim Justice stood on a stage with balloons, banners and giant scissors to celebrate what his team hailed as a historic revenue announcement. The announcement? State revenues hit a complicated trigger formula which will automatically reduce the personal income tax by about $80 million — resulting in an estimated extra 85 cents…
Budget Beat
The WVCBP is excited to welcome Tamaya Browder to the team as our education policy fellow! Tamaya was born and raised in Georgia and holds a B.S. in health promotion and behavior from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University. Before joining the Center, Tamaya worked in public…
Last month, state lawmakers met in Charleston for a special session mostly to allocate funding for budget needs that were shorted when they passed the state budget in March. Of 15 bills passed, 12 dealt with appropriations and state spending, with lawmakers continuing a troubling trend of using one-time surplus funds to pay for ongoing, base budget costs.…
In July 2023, West Virginia reimplemented pre-pandemic time limits for some adults receiving food assistance via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The time limits apply to adults between 18 and 52 (up to 54 in September 2024) without a documented disability and without children under 18 in the household, often referred to as “able-bodied…
Summer Policy Institute 2024 is almost here! SPI is a convening focused on policy, where participants learn the ins and outs of policy change through a research and data lens, as well as crucial skills rooted in community engagement and grassroots mobilization. Attendees will meet West Virginia leaders from government, non-profit advocacy, and grassroots organizing spaces to…
Late in the evening on the final day of the 2024 regular session, lawmakers passed what they referred to as a “skinny budget” totaling $4.997 billion in general revenue for FY 2025. The enacted budget reflects a spending increase of $122 million over FY 2024’s budget, but it is $226 million less than what the…
Earlier this week the House Finance committee passed SB 841, hastily drafted legislation that would make major changes to the state’s unemployment insurance system to the detriment of the state’s workers. These changes include cutting the number of weeks of unemployment benefits available to the state’s unemployed workers, reducing overall benefits for many workers, and increasing…
Legislators are proposing slashing benefits for unemployment insurance (UI) for laid off workers in West Virginia. These cuts would have a devastating impact on struggling families and would further harm our state's economy. HB 5276 would reduce unemployment benefits by nearly 25% by cutting the length of time a laid off worker can access unemployment from…
After five years of flat budgets, lawmakers returned to Charleston for the 2024 legislative session with many important spending priorities to address major needs. Members of the Republican majority have said they want to provide pay raises for public employees and raise starting salaries in sectors with vacancies, increase provider reimbursement rates, and address child care affordability and provider sustainability. Meanwhile,…
Our new fact sheet highlights how SNAP restrictions harm vulnerable populations that face barriers to work, negatively impact retailers, and increase demand on the state's charitable food sector. Read the full fact sheet here. Excerpt below: Overview The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the most powerful anti-hunger tool…