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…
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…
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…
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…
House Fails to Pass Senate's Tax Increase Bill On Tuesday, the House of Delegates took up the Senate's bill (SB 1005) that would have increased the tax on cigarettes by 45-cents a pack, revenue-generating measure to help balance the upcoming fiscal year's budget. After much debate and discussion about whether or not to include other…
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,…
Legislature to Convene for Special Session On Monday, the West Virginia legislature will convene for a special session to work on passing a state budget. From the outside, there appears to be little consensus with the governor calling for more revenue to help fill the budget gap and the House of Delegates pledging against any…
Vote for the Issues You Care About The polls are open both for early voting in West Virginia's primary and for the Our Children Our Future issue ballot. Have you voted? Choose from a selection of topics in three pillars. Your vote is important! It will be shared with legislators so they know your legislative…
Calling for a $1/Pack Increase in the Cigarette Tax Yesterday, a diverse group of advocates met to call for a long-overdue increase in the cigarette tax. West Virginia has the highest adult smoking rate in the nation and one of the lowest cigarette taxes. Raising the tax by $1/pack would still put the state's rate…