On June 19, Governor Justice ended all federally funded pandemic unemployment benefit programs, 12 weeks before they were set to expire. The benefits -- which included an extra weekly $300 payment to unemployed workers, as well as extended eligibility both for workers who had exhausted their regular weeks of eligibility and for self-employed workers and…
Economy
For Immediate Release: August 11, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released the following statement in response to the US Senate’s vote to advance a budget resolution paving the way to craft and enact a slate of investments known as the “Build Back Better” plan. US Senator Joe Manchin voted in…
WOWK13 - West Virginia has received half of the $1.35 billion that was allocated to the mountain state from the American Rescue Plan back in March. Watch the full segment. Now there are some who say the distribution of the money to those who need it is not happening fast enough. As the nationwide eviction…
Mountain State Spotlight - Mandy Bock is still wearing the contact lenses she got in early May. She should have swapped them out after two weeks, but she’s rationing them, alternating with a pair of broken glasses. Read the full article. “I’m afraid to [buy new contacts] because what if I need that money for…
WOWK13 - As roadwork continues all across the country, so too, does the work in Congress to forge a deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. It would add even more bridge, road and highway projects to the mix. Watch the full segment. “We find ourselves with the great work of the bipartisan group, at…
For Immediate Release: August 3, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – West Virginia faces a pivotal moment as we begin to emerge and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. While the pandemic brought many of its own unique challenges, an important takeaway that was highlighted during COVID-19 was that there are also longstanding, structural challenges to the…
Emerging Stronger from the Pandemic: A Blueprint for an Equitable Economic Recovery in West Virginia
Foreword West Virginia faces a pivotal moment as we begin to emerge and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. While the pandemic brought many of its own unique challenges that have been addressed by prompt local, state, and government action, an important takeaway that was highlighted during the pandemic was that there are also…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch - West Virginia leisure and hospitality jobs, which were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, experienced an 18% employment uptick from June 2020 to June 2021. Read the full article. The number of jobs in the sector grew from 62,800 to 68,000 between January and May of this year. The numbers…
Mountain State Spotlight, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Times West Virginian - On July 1, Gov. Jim Justice announced that in the 2021 fiscal year, which ended the previous day, West Virginia had a budget surplus of $413 million, topping previous expectations for the year. Read the full article. “We’re in great shape in West Virginia,” Justice…
PA Environment Digest - On July 22, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced new legislation to revive the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) titled the “The REVIVE the CCC Act of 2021” or “The Restore Environmental Vitality and Improve Volatile Economy (REVIVE) by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Act”. Read the full article. The bill would expand…