Economy

December 14, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
State of Working West Virginia 2022: A Lost Decade and a Path Forward

Introduction Heading into the COVID-19 pandemic, West Virginia was already facing an economic crisis. The natural gas boom had fizzled, and in the months leading up to the pandemic, the Mountain State was steadily losing jobs and experiencing weak income and GDP growth. In 2019, West Virginia’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, the fourth highest…

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November 16, 2022 by Kelly Allen
SNAP Stretch: A Proven Tool to Increase Food Access, Sustain Local Markets and Farms, and Boost our Economy

Introduction SNAP Stretch, a program that matches SNAP benefits spent at participating markets to increase fruit and vegetable affordability and access, increases consumption of healthy foods among low-income households, boosts sales at local farmers markets, and benefits our broader economy. A $1 million state investment in SNAP Stretch could have a $2.84 million economic benefit…

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July 20, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Pandemic’s Impact on Women and Work Not Yet Over   

While it has been nearly two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, women have still yet to return to their pre-pandemic employment levels, down 900,000 jobs in June 2022 compared with February 2020. Over the same period, men have reached and now exceeded their pre-pandemic employment levels. Women also saw larger total…

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April 21, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
How West Virginia’s History Affects its Residents

McDaniel Free Press - Because of the limits social media has, people seem to overlook the reality we live in today. Most U.S. citizens are interested in scrolling through social media apps for news, but that does not mean they are gaining important information every time they turn their phone on. Here is how social…

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March 15, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Billion Dollars in Anticipated Surplus is a Windfall, and a Big Target of Questions

West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia lawmakers passed a $4.65 billion general revenue budget at the end of their regular session. Tacked onto that was another billion dollars in possible spending, an unprecedented amount on the strength of federal relief dollars. Read the full article. There are always additional funding items as a sort of…

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March 10, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
Tweaked Unemployment Bill Up for Passage in House Friday

Charleston Gazette-Mail - A West Virginia House of Delegates bill making slight tweaks to the Senate’s signature unemployment bills will be up for passage Friday morning. Read the full article. If adopted, Senate Bill 2 would return to its original body for senators to either accept or reject the amendments adopted by House Finance Committee…

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March 4, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
February Revenue Surplus Supported by Low Estimate, High Severance Revenue

Charleston Gazette-Mail, Williamson Daily News - The State of West Virginia exceeded its monthly revenue estimate for February by more than $59 million, according to a report from the Senate Finance Committee. Read the full article. The excess in revenue continues to be built on a foundation of historically lowered revenue expectations, as has become…

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February 24, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
‘It’s scary’: While Hundreds of Workers Face Layoff in Brooke County, WV Lawmakers Move to Slash the Benefits They’ll Rely On

Mountain State Spotlight - Just south of Weirton, Shannon Baldauf spends her work days suited up in layers of fire-retardant clothing, climbing atop massive, blazing furnaces that purify tons of coal. Read the full article. “It’s a heat like you’ve never experienced,” she said. But come this summer, Baldauf and nearly 300 others who work…

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February 23, 2022 by WVCBP
New Brief Examines WV’s Temporary Budget Surplus, FY 2023 Proposed Budget Allocations and Implications

For Immediate Release: February 23, 2022Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – For the second year in a row, Governor Jim Justice has proposed a “flat” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, with only minor changes from the FY 2022 budget. While the state is currently enjoying large budget surpluses, those surpluses are the result of billions in federal…

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February 23, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
Flat Budgets, Flat Expectations: The West Virginia Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Proposal

Overview Read the full brief. For the second year in a row, Governor Jim Justice has proposed a “flat” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, with only minor changes from the FY 2022 budget. While the state is currently enjoying large budget surpluses, those surpluses are the result of billions in federal aid, artificially low…

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