More on Last Week's Poverty Numbers: Rich Getting Richer Last week 's data on poverty in West Virginia showed that the number of children and families living in poverty is still too high. What we also learned is that the state's economy is starting to grow again, post-recession, but it's the wealthiest in the state…
Budget Beat
Poverty Numbers Out This Week Show Stubbornly High Poverty Rate for West Virginia While its economy has recovered from the Great Recession, West Virginia's people still face an uphill climb in terms of getting out of poverty. Nearly one in five in the state lives in poverty, including one in three young (under the age…
Our Children Our Future Policy Symposium Brings Together Hundreds from Across the State The WVCBP was proud to be a partner in the Our Children Our Future Policy Symposium this past week in Charleston. Hundreds of leaders and activists from social advocacy organizations, faith-based groups, government agencies, schools and universities, and families and young people…
Increase in Minimum Wage Helps Working Families Fast-food workers calling for a higher wage brought the minimum wage debate back into the headlines this week. During the 2014 Legislative Session, West Virginia lawmakers approved a $1.50 an hour raise phased in over two years but there is a national movement to increase it to $10.10…
Decline of Coal in National Headlines This week the Washington Post featured two articles on the downturn of West Virginia's coal economy. With 10,000 miners losing their jobs in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky in the past two-and-a-half years, and the surge in national gas production, the coal industry's most recent bust might be…
Welcome to Erin Snyder! The WVCBP welcomed Erin Snyder this week as our new Health Policy Analyst. Erin is a graduate of West Virginia State University has a J.D. from Charlotte School of Law, where she focused on health law. She most recently has worked with Families USA on national health policies and will work…
Register Today to Hold Your Seat at Next Month's Policy Symposium! Registration is open for next month's Our Children Our Future Policy Symposium at the state Capitol in Charleston. Day #1 is September 9 the the Culture Center with a wide variety of policy sessions. On Day #2 we present those policy ideas to legislators…
Greater Fiscal Responsibility is Possible West Virginia should make improvements to the way it estimates revenues in order to create a more fiscally responsible budget, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In the report's evaluation of how states come up with a revenue estimate for the annual budget,…
Ways to Help West Virginia's Working Families Couldn't make it to last month's policy workshops? Find out more about two of our policy priorities on our website where we've posted our presentations from the Clarksburg and Hurricane events. Paid Sick Days Many low-wage workers have to choose between going to work when they are sick…
Our Children Our Future Policy Workshops Joining All Corners of the State This month people from across the state who want to see policy change have come together in Lewisburg, Clarksburg and Hurricane. There is one more Our Children Our Future Policy workshop to go, next week in Martinsburg. With 23 ideas for positive…