Economy

March 17, 2021 by Kelly Allen
Senate Passes ESAs Bill, Governor Lets Teacher Strike Bill Be Law Without Signature

West Virginia MetroNews - Both houses of the Legislature have passed a bill that would divert dollars for students leaving public schools for private school or homeschooling. Read the full article. And the governor let go into law without his signature a bill clarifying that strikes against the state by public employees including educators are unlawful. The…

Read More
March 15, 2021 by Sean O'Leary
Pay More, Get Less: The West Virginia FY 2022 Budget Proposal

Overview Governor Jim Justice has proposed what he describes as a “flat” budget for FY 2022, with only minor changes from the FY 2021 budget. While the state budget remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, that stability relied on tapping reserves, federal stimulus funding, and other temporary measures. The future budget picture remains troubling, with…

Read More
March 15, 2021 by Sean O'Leary
Legislative Oversight and Revenue Shortfalls: Controversy Continues to Surround Justice’s CARES Act Plans

Mountain State Spotlight, West Virginia Public Broadcasting - So far, Gov. Jim Justice has been the sole authority spending the $1.25 billion West Virginia received in federal coronavirus relief. Read the full article. Advocates have argued that he hasn’t spent enough of it to address the immediate needs of West Virginians facing the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic…

Read More
March 15, 2021 by WVCBP
WV’s Future Budget Picture Troubling, Justice’s Tax Plan Further Threatens State’s Financial Stability

For Immediate Release: March 15, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - Last month, Governor Jim Justice proposed what he described as a “flat” budget for FY 2022, with only minor changes from the FY 2021 budget. While the state budget remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, that stability relied on tapping reserves, federal stimulus funding, and other temporary…

Read More
March 11, 2021 by WVCBP
GUEST EDITORIAL: The American Rescue Plan Is the relief West Virginians need

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…

Read More
March 11, 2021 by Kelly Allen
US House Approves $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill; Biden to Sign Measure Friday

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…

Read More
March 10, 2021 by WVCBP
The American Rescue Plan Is The Relief West Virginians Need

For Immediate Release: March 10, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - 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…

Read More
March 8, 2021 by Kelly Allen
Governor Goes Off on State Spending Restrictions Built into Latest Federal Relief Bill

West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice isn’t happy about about some restrictions for how states can use federal relief built into the plan passed by the U.S. Senate. Read the full article. “It’s all about just petty nothing,” Justice said today. “That’s the only reason that got written in there.” The $1.9 trillion federal relief package…

Read More
March 5, 2021 by Sean O'Leary
What Would Removing the Income Tax do to Prices in West Virginia?

WOWK, News Break - On Inside West Virginia Politics, Sean O'Leary, with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, says the governor's proposed plan to eliminate the state's income tax "is not going to be a winner for West Virginia" as it is now. Watch the full segment. He says raising sales taxes will…

Read More
March 1, 2021 by Kelly Allen
Justice Sees Flaws in Senate Tax Plan, and He Wishes Somebody had Looped Him in

West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice says he likes some aspects of a new Senate tax plan and really dislikes several others: fewer business groups “pulling the rope,” the loss of rebate checks for lower-income residents and reinstitution of the food tax. Read the full article. And the governor wishes someone had taken just…

Read More