Join Us in the WVU Mountainlair - In Person or Streaming! Balancing the state budget has meant year after year of cuts to higher education funding in West Virginia. Public colleges and universities have been forced to respond with tuition hikes while the state's Promise scholarship has remained flat, putting college affordability out of reach…
Budget Beat
Didn't have time to follow the twists and turns of the Special Session? Confused as to what's in (and out of) the final West Virginia budget? Here's Sean's breakdown including what was in the governor's original budget and what the final numbers look like. Lunch and Learn - July 13 Mark your calendars for the…
Legislature's Bill Likely to Draw Governor's Veto After nearly three weeks of debate on how to close the $270+ million budget gap, the House and Senate agreed on legislation Thursday that would raise no new revenues and draw heavily from the state's Rainy Day Fund. Governor Tomblin has promised to veto any such bill and…
Today the West Virginia legislature wraps up its first week of work on passing a state budget. The most notable accomplishment was the Senate passage of SB 1005 which would raise the tobacco tax by 45-cents/pack. The bill was read for the first time in the House today. During the Senate debate on the measure,…
Eight Ways Legislators Can Balance the Budget West Virginia does not yet have a budget for the upcoming fiscal year which starts on July 1. Governor Tomblin is expecting to call legislators in for a special session but no date has been announced. At issue is how to bridge the $239 million budget shortfall. The…
With One Week to Go, Important Bills Still Under Consideration Today the House Finance Committee ended any hopes of raising the state's tobacco tax this session. The Senate had passed a $1/pack increase but after reducing it back to the governor's proposed 45-cents/pack, the House Finance Committee failed to pass the bill. Some delegates wanted…
Tomorrow in the House Chamber Legislators have begun their consideration of five pieces of legislation that would call upon Congress to hold a Constitutional Convention. The bills are HB 4449, HB 2424, SCR 4, SCR 10 and HCR 36. Supreme Court Justices and prominent legal scholars on both sides of the aisle agree there is no…
This Week at the Capitol: Session at Half-Way Mark "Right-to-Work" and Prevailing Wage On Thursday, Governor Tomblin vetoed both the repeal of the prevailing wage and the Right To Work bill. Today, both the House and Senate voted to override both vetoes. Both measures now become law. Drug Testing On Tuesday, the Senate passed SB…
"Right to Work" and Repeal of Prevailing Wage Both Pass Full Legislature Yesterday, after five hours of debate, the so-called "Right to Work" legislation passed the full House of Delegates with a 54-46 vote. The bill is now in the hands of Governor Tomblin. Also passed yesterday was a bill to repeal the state's prevailing…
Join Us at the Capitol This Week This Thursday, January 28, join us for Kids and Families Day at the state Capitol hosted by the Our Children, Our Future campaign. This is one special day each year when hundreds of everyday kids, families and community leaders make their voices heard. Join us under the Rotunda…