Fact Sheets

January 2, 2024 by Sara Whitaker
Who do Lawmakers Listen to About West Virginia Jails?

In March 2022, Governor Jim Justice announced that he had directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate Southern Regional Jail (SRJ). In the days leading up to the governor’s announcement, media reports described horrifying conditions at the Raleigh County jail: filthy and broken accommodations, people sleeping on wet floors, violence against incarcerated people…

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August 24, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Research Preview: Hope Scholarship Sends Public Taxpayer Dollars Out of State and to Unaccredited Schools

West Virginia lawmakers passed the Hope Scholarship, at the time one of the broadest school voucher programs in the nation, in 2021. Voucher programs like the Hope Scholarship, referred to as Education Savings Accounts, divert taxpayer funding from the public education system to unaccountable, sometimes unaccredited, private schools and education service providers. With no public…

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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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August 10, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
Senate Plan for Amendment Two Relies on Unrealistic Revenue and Spending Assumptions, Would Quickly Become Unsustainable

Overview Read the full fact sheet. The West Virginia State Senate recently released an outline of a plan to eliminate business personal property taxes and use state revenues to reimburse counties, schools, and municipalities for the hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax revenue that would be lost if Amendment Two or the “Property…

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September 2, 2021 by Rhonda Rogombe
Understanding the Enhanced Child Tax Credit

The enhanced child tax credit can benefit nearly every kid in West Virginia The enhanced child tax credit (CTC) is part of the federal government’s relief package (American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA) to help families during the pandemic. In 2021, this plan increases the amount of money that families with children can get refunded…

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May 18, 2021 by Kelly Allen
Best Practices for Local and State Prioritization of American Rescue Plan Act Funds

Overview Read the full fact sheet here. Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), states, cities, counties, U.S. territories, and tribal nations will receive a total of $350 billion in Fiscal Recovery Funds to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and help bring back jobs. In West Virginia, the state government will receive $1.355 billion and…

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February 1, 2021 by WVCBP
Fast Facts: Education Savings Accounts Divert Public Funds to Private Schools with Little Accountability and Poor Results

This piece was co-authored by WVCBP executive director, Kelly Allen, and WVCBP senior policy analyst, Sean O'Leary. State-funded vouchers use existing state funds intended for public schools and instead redirect them for use in non-public, private education programs. Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are a form of these state-funded vouchers. The primary difference between ESAs and…

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