The 2019 Legislative Session has just begun and Governor Jim Justice released his proposed budget and stated his funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year in his State of the State speech on Wednesday. While promising to give state employees and school workers another five-percent raise, he also wants to eliminate the industrial property tax…
Budget Beat
West Virginia's sixty-day legislative session starts Wednesday, January 9. Stay tuned to Budget Beat each Friday as we bring you a recap of the week's legislative developments, from the governor's state of state address on Wednesday night, to the fate of key pieces of legislation, to the discussion of the budget proposed for the upcoming…
The 2018 regular legislative session was certainly one to remember. West Virginia saw its first-ever statewide teachers strike, a host of bad bills introduced, and a governor often missing from the statehouse at critical times. Let’s take a look back at what happened and how low- and moderate-income West Virginians fared under the capitol dome…
Reggie Jones, who is the director of PRIDE Community Services in Logan, West Virginia, summed up the election best: "We're suffering in this state, and I don't see any end in sight." No matter who you voted for in the election, it is undeniably true that working families in West Virginia are struggling and have…
Last week it was WV Taxes at a Glance, this week we unveil WV Budget at a Glance. We hope these two easy-to-read mini reports help guide you through the complicated process that is the West Virginia state budget. Want an in-person discussion so you can learn more about West Virginia's budget process? Give us…
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…
Lucy Boettner shows her patriotic spirit Happy 4th of July from all of us at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy! West Virginia Flood Recovery: How to Help/How to Get Help Questions about where to get flood recovery assistance? Want to volunteer? The West Virginia Nonprofit Association has set up this page with…
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…
Your #dontshutdownmystate texts and posts worked! As we mentioned in last week's Budget Beat, the Senate and House agreed to raise the tobacco tax by 65-cents/pack, forging a compromise to raise much-needed revenue and balance the budget with less reliance on the Rainy Day Fund. Today, Governor Tomblin signed the resulting budget bill (SB 1013)…
Today, a coalition of statewide organizations came together to take action on the looming fears of a state government shutdown. The politics no longer matter. The real issue of jobs and services to our citizens has hit a boiling point. "When we consider the extent to which citizens depend on our state government services we…