In the spring of 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to address the ongoing economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to historic reductions in child poverty through the expanded Child Tax Credit, ARPA’s Fiscal Recovery Funds to states and localities were among the most impactful parts of the legislation. In West Virginia,…
Budget Beat
Abortion is and always has been an economic issue. In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the last remaining abortion provider in West Virginia has been forced to cease providing these critical and lifesaving health care services. With safe, legal abortion in the state now fully inaccessible, we know that low-income people…
Abortion is and always has been an economic issue. With Roe v. Wade expected to be overturned in the coming weeks, abortion is likely to become even more restricted or altogether banned in West Virginia. Low-income people will suffer the most. In recent years, West Virginia lawmakers have created a landscape where pregnant people frequently…
This November, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could jeopardize hundreds of millions in property tax revenue benefiting local communities. Here's our third in a series of blog posts outlining why the amendment should be rejected. If passed, the property tax amendment would give the state legislature the authority to exempt business machinery and equipment,…
This fall, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could jeopardize hundreds of millions in property tax revenue benefiting local communities. Here's our second in a series of blog posts outlining why the amendment should be rejected. This blog post details how claims that West Virginia’s property taxes are out of line with other states’ or…
With temporary federal funding to help families afford child care ending soon, US Senators Patty Murray and Tim Kaine have proposed an increase in child care funding for all states that would give West Virginia an additional $77 million annually, allowing it to serve some 4,200 more children and build on pandemic-initiated improvements to our child care system. Negotiations are reportedly…
Medicaid is a critical economic and health program in West Virginia, serving over 616,000 people, including children, seniors, low-income adults, pregnant and postpartum women, persons with disabilities, and more. Medicaid’s flexibility and reach has never been more clear than during the pandemic recession, when it provided health coverage for tens of thousands of West Virginians…
West Virginia’s tax revenue collections made a fast turnaround after the initial decline in the early months of the pandemic recession. General Revenue collections fell from $4.756 billion in FY 2019 to $4.49 billion in FY 2020, before bouncing back to $4.988 billion in FY 2021. But while the state largely recouped its pandemic revenue losses and has posted…
This fall, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to give the state legislature the authority to exempt most business personal property and personal vehicles from the property tax, potentially costing local governments hundreds of millions in lost revenue. Property tax levies (including excess and bond levies) provide critical revenue for local services…
As one piece of the federal response to the pandemic, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which increased income-based health care subsidies, known as advanced premium tax credits (APTCs). These credits help make health insurance premiums more affordable to Americans at all income levels. While the increased APTCs have played a critical role in helping…