HB 4007 – this year's attempt to cut the personal income tax – would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest West Virginians while leading to major revenue losses that would further undermine desperately needed investments in public services. HB 4007’s income tax reduction plan shares the same flaw as versions that failed to pass last year: relying on a one-time source of…
Budget Beat
Since the state legislative session began last month, much attention has been focused on the high number of job openings in West Virginia. Two bills that are rapidly moving through the Senate (SB 2 and SB 3) would drastically cut unemployment insurance benefits for displaced workers in the name of “getting people back to work,” and Governor Justice introduced…
Earlier this month, Governor Justice released his FY 2023 budget proposal. Once again, the governor is proposing a relatively “flat” budget with few changes from the previous year. However, like with the FY 2022 budget, low revenue estimates and lack of a six-year plan are complicating the budget picture, preventing investments in the state’s needs, and will…
On the first day of the 2022 legislative session, the West Virginia Senate introduced bills that would make major changes to the state’s unemployment insurance system, to the detriment of the state’s workers. While Senate Bill 3 would add additional strict work search requirements for unemployed workers collecting unemployment insurance, Senate Bill 2 would reduce the number of weeks…
Join us next Friday for our 9th annual Budget Breakfast! Each year, the WVCBP holds this fundraising event to provide analysis of the Governor's proposed budget. You'll hear from our executive director, Kelly Allen, our senior policy analyst, Sean O'Leary, and our keynote speaker, Brian Elderbroom of Justice Reform Strategies. You can purchase a ticket for…
West Virginia’s economy continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two years after impacts were first felt in the state. After historic job losses in the spring of 2020, the state underwent a steep, but partial recovery in the summer. However, growth has been sluggish in recent months, and a substantial jobs gap…
Senator Manchin’s announcement that he will not support the Build Back Better Act is a major blow to West Virginia’s families, workers, small businesses, and state economy. Failing to pass a social infrastructure package and an extension of the improved Child Tax Credit – including the monthly payments that are helping West Virginia families afford the…
Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress temporarily increased the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for more than 65 million children nationally, including 346,000 in West Virginia where it reaches 93 percent of children. Since July, most households with children have received $250- $300 per child monthly via the increased CTC, but the final payment was delivered this week…
The WVCBP is a proud member of the West Virginia Criminal Law Reform Coalition, a group of West Virginia-based organizations partnering in pursuit of systemic changes to the state’s criminal legal system. This past Monday, the coalition hosted an advocacy day at the Capitol to bring awareness to the issues members hope to see addressed during the…
Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the overall year-over-year inflation rate in October was 6.2 percent, a notably high rate. While there are many reasons to believe that inflation will ease in the coming months, some, including West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, are arguing that current high rates of inflation are not transitory and instead…