WCHS - The West Virginia Senate's version of the House's income tax reduction bill narrowly cleared committee Tuesday. Read the full article. It adds $800-900 million in tax increases, raising the sales tax to 8.5% and reestablishing a 2.5% food tax. "It could be a huge economic stimulus for our state, a huge spur of population growth…
Economy
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - A bill to rewrite state law for hundreds of criminal offenses cleared the House of Delegates following less than half an hour of debate Wednesday. Read the full article. Over the course of nearly 400 pages, House Bill 2017 updates hundreds of crimes and replaces the state’s process for sentencing with a…
West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice has repeated an idea of setting aside financial “surplus,” built on the strength of federal relief dollars, into a “bucket” while touting his income tax cut proposal that could leave a big hole in the state budget. Read the full article. Analysts say it’s doubtful West Virginia could…
For Immediate Release: February 27, 2021Contact: Jessie Ice, 304-322-0074 or Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - Last night’s passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of a comprehensive COVID relief bill is an important step forward. This legislation is the kind of action we need in this moment, when the economy is still weak and…
WOWK - More money is likely coming from Washington, DC to the states for COVID-19 relief. Most everyone agrees that additional vaccines and testing supplies are badly needed – there are disputes over things such as unemployment extensions, and whether the benefit should be 300 or 600 dollars per week. And critics say only a…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Visions of a more prosperous West Virginia abounded during a virtual news conference Thursday that focused on new findings from an economic and job impact study that made the case for sweeping investments in Appalachian infrastructure. Read the full article. It’ll take a lot of money and political willpower to make those visions a…
Business Insider, Today UK News, Yahoo News, Good Word News - Congressional Democrats are scrambling to keep their $15 federal minimum wage proposal included in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan this week as they face an unlikely obstacle: centrist members of their own party. Read the full article. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and…
Mountain State Spotlight - Desperate to attract jobs, West Virginia lawmakers made drastic tax cuts. The result was declining investment in education — and stagnant job growth. Read the full article. That was more than a decade ago. Now, faced with the same problem, state lawmakers want to do it again. Amid a pandemic that has…
Introduction The health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have had profound consequences for West Virginia families and communities, and structural and longstanding health and poverty challenges have been magnified. Before the crisis, West Virginia had the fourth highest poverty rate in the country and among the worst health outcomes and indicators. This made…
West Virginia MetroNews - A first bill aimed at refining the governor’s emergency powers is headed for a vote in the House of Delegates. Read the full article. For months, lawmakers have been watching Gov. Jim Justice’s use of CARES Act relief funding. West Virginia received $1.25 billion in federal relief, and Gov. Jim Justice…