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…
Economy
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Earlier this month, the West Virginia Senate passed two bills that would drastically change the state's unemployment insurance system and will now be considered in the House of Delegates. SB 2 would reduce the number of weeks a worker can collect unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to as few as 12 weeks. SB 3 would…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Beckley Register-Herald - Legislators have been told that West Virginia’s economic recovery has been strong. The inference is that normality is around the corner and almost back. The serious question is whether “back to normal” is adequate. Read the full op-ed. There are several matters of concern. First, there is the workforce participation…
Beckley Register-Herald - State legislators, past and present, who have voted to undercut support of public education should be embarrassed. Public funding for our colleges and universities in West Virginia has been trimmed consistently over the past decade just as both the state’s students and its economy have needed a hand up. Read the full…
The Dominion Post, Yahoo News - Feb. 10—We're running our weekly roundup a little early this week, and we'll mostly be focusing on the "good " and the "stupid " today. The "bad " will come tomorrow. Without further ado, let's take a look at what the Legislature has been up to. Read the full…