Economic Security

July 29, 2025 by WVCBP
West Virginia Nonprofits Speak Out About Federal Funding Cuts under President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act

WOWK - Nonprofit leaders in West Virginia are speaking out about potentially harmful impacts to communities after changes to federal funding are put in motion from President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act. Read the full article. According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy’s data in 2025, federal dollars make up nearly…

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July 26, 2025 by WVCBP
Data Center Advancement Sparking Environmental, Economic Concerns Throughout WV

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Fifteen-year Tucker County resident Sheena Williams told the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection her child has asthma. Read the full article. Williams said she feared an expected data center facility for which the DEP has signaled it will approve an air quality permit despite facility plans to potentially emit hundreds of…

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July 23, 2025 by WVCBP
Trump Freezes $25M in Funding for WV Schools, Districts on the Hook to Cover Necessary Costs

West Virginia Watch, News from the States, Yahoo News - West Virginia is set to lose more than $25 million in federal education funding this coming school year after President Donald Trump’s administration withheld billions in federal money for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities. …

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July 17, 2025 by Kelly Allen
Proposed 93% Federal Budget Cut Would Impact W.Va. Economic Success

Times West Virginian, Beckley Register-Herald, Yahoo News - President Donald Trump seeks a 93% funding cut to a quasi-federal government agency responsible for promoting economic development and community building in Appalachia. Read the full article. West Virginia is the sole state that falls entirely within the geographical region served by the Appalachian Regional Commission. “ARC…

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July 15, 2025 by Kelly Allen, Sean O'Leary
Five Ways HB 2014 Harms Communities, Local Governments, and Schools

This fact sheet was co-authored by Kelly Allen (WVCBP), Sean O'Leary (WVCBP), and Robert Bastress (John W. Fisher II Professor of Law Emeritus, West Virginia University College of Law) Overview During the 2025 West Virginia state legislative session, lawmakers passed HB 2014, the Certified Microgrid Program. While proponents focused on how the legislation would permit…

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July 14, 2025 by Kelly Allen
Tackling Bad Behavior in Classrooms on Inside West Virginia Politics

WOWK - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, our guests join Rick Johnson to discuss an ACLU lawsuit, Texas flooding, the Public Employees Insurance Agency and bad behavior in classrooms. Read the full article. In Segment 1, we talk to ACLU WV Director of Communications Billy Wolfe about the lawsuit against the…

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July 12, 2025 by Sean O'Leary
These are America’s 10 Weakest State Economies Most at Risk in a Recession

CNBC - The odds of a recession may be falling, but states appear to be betting that corporate leaders are still nervous. Read the full article. An analysis of all 50 states’ economic development marketing efforts — part of CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business study — finds that a strong economy is the most frequently…

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July 11, 2025 by WVCBP
One Big, Bad Deal for West Virginia

West Virginia Watch - If you were listening earlier this year as the governor and legislature pushed through legislation to incentivize data centers and microgrids in West Virginia, you would have heard a lot about China. Lawmakers said we are in an artificial intelligence race with China, and West Virginia is primed to be a spot to…

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