Income and Work

March 12, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Critics: Changes in WV Unemployment Benefits will Harm Families Amid Inflation

Public News Service - Critics say a bill passed by West Virginia lawmakers increases the bureaucratic red tape folks who rely on unemployment benefits have to navigate and could financially hurt families already struggling with the high cost of living and ongoing inflation. Read the full article. Kelly Allen, executive director with the West Virginia…

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March 9, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia Legislature Completes Action on Unemployment Bill

West Virginia Watch, News from the States - With hours to spare on the last night of the West Virginia Legislature’s 60-day session, the House of Delegates approved an amended version of a Senate bill that changes the structure of the state’s unemployment benefit program.  Read the full article. Delegates passed Senate Bill 841 with a…

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March 7, 2024 by WVCBP
A Last-minute Bill to Cut Unemployment Benefits has Lawmakers Confused. They’re Rushing it Through Anyway

Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian, Fayette Tribune - As the House Finance Committee began discussing a quickly-drafted unemployment bill on Monday, it quickly became apparent that lawmakers were going to have lots of questions. Within minutes, the committee hit its first roadblock: How much are unemployment benefits?  Read the full article. Questions continued over the course…

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March 6, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Efforts to Cut Unemployment Based on False Premise

Earlier this week the House Finance committee passed SB 841, hastily drafted legislation that would make major changes to the state’s unemployment insurance system to the detriment of the state’s workers. These changes include cutting the number of weeks of unemployment benefits available to the state’s unemployed workers, reducing overall benefits for many workers, and…

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March 6, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
House Finance Committee Moves Bill Making Unemployment Fund Changes

Weirton Daily Times, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, The Intermountain - Members of a West Virginia House of Delegates committee signed on to a state Senate bill making changes to unemployment benefits. But opponents believe it could end up adding to the state’s already poor labor force participation rate. Read the full article. The House Finance…

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March 4, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Bill Cutting Unemployment Benefits Heads to the House Floor for Vote

West Virginia Watch, News from the States - A bill that would cut the duration of unemployment benefits in the state is heading for a vote by the full West Virginia House of Delegates. Read the full article. After a 3.5 hour discussion Monday afternoon, the House finance committee voted 14 to 9 to advance Senate…

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March 4, 2024 by Kelly Allen
HB 5159 and HB 5162 Weaken Child Labor Protections, Increase Risk of Dangerous Work

After 100 years of progress, child labor violations in the United States are soaring, and corporate interest groups are pushing coordinated efforts across states to roll back critical child labor protections, with at least 12 states enacting harmful rollbacks. In West Virginia, the House of Delegates passed HB 5159, which would weaken child labor protections…

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February 28, 2024 by WVCBP
Senate Changes, Passes Bill To Reduce Unemployment Benefits

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The Senate passed a bill that would reduce overall unemployment benefits but increase initial benefits.  Read the full article. Senate Bills 840 and 841 would have steeply cut unemployment benefits. Those bills were combined and amended to substantially reduce the change to the state’s unemployment benefits.  The engrossed bill that passed the Senate shaves two weeks…

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February 27, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Indexing Unemployment Benefits Would Harm Small, Rural Counties in West Virginia

Overview During the 2024 legislative session, the West Virginia Senate introduced bills that would make major changes to the state’s unemployment insurance system, to the detriment of workers. These changes include dramatically reducing the number of weeks of unemployment benefits available to the state’s unemployed workers. SB 840, would tie the maximum weeks of eligibility…

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February 26, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Bill That Greatly Reduces Unemployment Benefits Advances

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The Senate advanced two bills Monday that would lower unemployment benefits for out of work West Virginians.  Read the full article. Currently people can receive 26 weeks of benefits, and a maximum weekly benefit of $624 if they lose their job through no fault of their own; meaning they were…

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