News Releases

For Immediate Release Contact: Sean O'Leary or Linda Frame, 304-720-8682, lframe@wvpolicy.org Shortchanging Public Universities and Colleges Reduces Access to Higher Education, Hurts Economy – Even as most states have begun to restore funding for higher education that was cut during the recession, West Virginia has continued to cut funding for public universities and colleges, according…

For Immediate Release - contact David McMahon at 304-993-0486 or Linda Frame at 304-720-8682 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released a working draft of a proposal to rein in abusive, low-dollar lending schemes such as payday, auto title and installment lending. The draft, presented at a field hearing in Richmond, VA, would require that…

For Immediate Release Contact Ted Boettner or Sean O'Leary, 304-720-8682 – Again this year, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's proposed budget includes cuts to important programs like higher education and early childhood programs. Faced with a projected $195 million budget gap, the governor proposes drawing from the state's Rainy Day Fund and implementing $72 million in…

For Immediate Release Contact Sean O'Leary at 304-720-8682 or soleary@wvpolicy.org Report Shows W.Va. has Lower Construction Costs than Non-PWL States West Virginia lawmakers considering a repeal of the state's long-standing prevailing wage are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist and it could hurt working families and our local economy. This according to a…

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Ted Boettner, 304-590-3454 (cell), Jenice R. Robinson, 202-299-1066 (x 27); Jenice@itep.orgA new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy finds that the low- and middle-income West Virginians pay more in state and local taxes as a percent of their…

For Immediate Release Contact: Ted Boettner or Linda Frame, 304-720-8682 –Registration is open for the Summit on Race Matters in Appalachia taking place in Charleston on November 10 and 11, 2014. The two-day conference, presented by several organizations and sponsors, will offer a unique opportunity for people from throughout West Virginia to participate in a…

For Immediate Release Contact:    Ted Boettner, 304-590-3454 (cell), Rick Wilson, 304-993-8950 (cell) or 304-743-9459 or Sean O'Leary, 304-720-8682 While West Virginia's economic recovery from the Great Recession has been assisted by strong growth in the state's natural gas and oil industries and the expansion in health coverage from Medicaid, wages are stagnant, unemployment remains elevated,…

For Immediate ReleaseContact Sean O'Leary Poverty remained high in West Virginia last year, with the number of children living in poverty growing. While the state's economy has grown since the end of the recession, that growth has not been widely shared, as thousands of West Virginians continue to struggle to afford basic necessities like housing, nutritious…

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Erin Snyder, 304-720-8682 (office) or 304-382-7779 (cell), esnyder@wvpolicy.orgSlightly more West Virginians now have access to affordable health care, according to data released today from the Census Bureau's 2013 American Community Survey. In 2013, 14 percent of West Virginians were uninsured, a slight drop from 2012. PDF of news release.Even greater gains in…

Reforms needed to ensure greater fiscal responsibility and promote public trust Contact: Ted Boettner, 304-720-8682, tboettner@wvpolicy.org West Virginia should make improvements to the way it estimates revenues in order to create a more fiscally responsible budget, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In the report's evaluation of how…