Amid a public health emergency, the 2021 state legislative session presented a unique opportunity to improve health and wellness outcomes across West Virginia. This year, delegates and senators introduced several bills related to health care and the social safety net that will impact families across the state, especially those with lower incomes. While some bills…
Economic Security
For Immediate Release: April 28, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – The President’s announcement of the American Families Plan today, along with his American Jobs Plan, puts us one step closer to seizing the historic opportunity to build a stronger recovery and a more equitable economy. We call on West Virginia’s congressional delegation to move swiftly to…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - The pandemic has shone a bright light on longstanding needs of families in West Virginia and across the country — needs that, when unaddressed, make families less financially secure, slow our economy and widen the gap between the richest in our country and everyone else. Read the full op-ed. The COVID-19 relief…
The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have exacerbated longstanding economic inequities faced by West Virginians. Thankfully, the recent stimulus and rescue packages have shown us a way to rebuild from the pandemic by investing in families. In particular, the expansions of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the…
Mountain State Spotlight, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Flipboard - Republican Gov. Jim Justice and some state lawmakers predict the elimination of the personal income tax would bring hundreds of thousands of new residents to the state. Read the full article. There’s no guarantee of that, but their decisions regarding the tax, and its effect on…
West Virginia MetroNews - As the 2021 West Virginia regular legislative session heads into its final week, dozens of citizens stood outside the state Capitol in brisk weather Friday to protest how tax and budget proposals could affect people’s lives. Read the full article. State community organizations, including the West Virginia Center on Budget &…
Public News Service - Advocates for impoverished people are urging West Virginia lawmakers to oppose two bills being heard in a House committee Thursday, that they claim punish low-income people and drug users. Read the full article. Senate Bill 387 would make permanent a pilot program that screens recipients of the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - The past year has been a difficult one for our state’s families, businesses and communities. West Virginians are resilient and hard-working, but we still need to work together to emerge from the pandemic. Read the full op-ed. That’s where government can be most helpful: meeting and solving big challenges together that no…
Mineral Daily News-Tribune - The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy applauds the passage of the American Rescue Plan. This legislation is the kind of action the country needs at this moment, when unemployed workers are still struggling to pay their bills, millions of families are falling further behind on rent and at risk…
West Virginia MetroNews - The U.S. House of Representatives approved changes to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure Wednesday with President Joe Biden set to sign the bill this week. Read the full article. The House voted 220-211 along party lines in support of changes made by the Senate last weekend. No Republicans in any chamber backed…