News Releases

November 9, 2020 by WVCBP
13th Annual State of Working West Virginia Report Highlights Persistent Racial Inequity Throughout the State, Presents Policy Solutions from WV Community Leaders

For Immediate Release: November 09, 2020Contact: Sean O'Leary, 304-400-8899 Charleston, WV - In the 1960s, Black Americans across the country marched, protested, and even rioted as decades of institutional racism and oppression came to a head. Now in 2020, over half a century later, extraordinarily high numbers of Americans of all backgrounds marched once again in protest…

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October 29, 2020 by WVCBP
ReImagine Appalachia Coalition Details Regional Infrastructure and Investment Priorities

White papers detail Appalachian climate investment strategy for lawmakers post-election. For Immediate Release: October 29, 2020 Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - The ReImagine Appalachia Coalition released a trio of white papers detailing needed infrastructure investments in broadband, for modernizing the region's manufacturing sector, reviving the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and promoting regenerative agriculture. Read the reports here. The…

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October 21, 2020 by WVCBP
As Ongoing Pandemic Highlights Need for Affordable Health Care Coverage for All, WVCBP’s New Policy Brief Explores How Medicaid Buy-In Program Could Extend Coverage to Thousands of West Virginians

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV -  West Virginia saw the largest drop in the uninsured rate in the country following implementation of the Affordable Care Act, primarily due to success of the Medicaid expansion. While progress in reducing the uninsured rate has stalled since 2016, the pandemic has reinforced the importance…

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October 5, 2020 by WVCBP
Kelly Allen Named Director of West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy

For Immediate Release: October 5, 2020 Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV- The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Kelly Allen will serve as the organization's new executive director. Allen will lead the nonprofit thinktank's team of seven talented staff members into their thirteenth year as the…

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September 21, 2020 by WVCBP
Health Care for All West Virginia Coalition Urges Senate to Prioritize Immediate Need for COVID Relief Over Rushing To Fill Supreme Court Vacancy

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV- For several months, members of the Health Care for All WV coalition have urged our U.S. Senators and House Representatives to prioritize a robust COVID relief package that would address the immense suffering West Virginia families, businesses, and local governments are facing. Congress has failed…

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September 17, 2020 by WVCBP
Data Released Today Shows West Virginia Had 6th Highest Poverty Rate in the Country Even Before COVID Hardship, More Relief Needed

For Immediate Release: September 17, 2020 Contact: Sean O'Leary, 304-400-8899 Charleston, WV - New data released today from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and an analysis of data from its ongoing Household Pulse Survey and other sources paints a bleak picture. People across West Virginia -- particularly West Virginians of color and those with low incomes -- continue to face…

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September 15, 2020 by WVCBP
With New Data Showing Health Coverage Progress in West Virginia Stalled Even Prior to COVID-19 Crisis, WVCBP’s New Policy Brief Details How State Can Cover All Children

For Immediate Release: September 15, 2020 Contact: Sean O'Leary, 304-400-8899 Charleston, WV - The number of West Virginians without health insurance stayed the same in 2019, further stalling the historic gains made under the Affordable Care Act even before the COVID-19 economic and health crisis caused job and health insurance loss for tens of thousands of West Virginians.  Today's…

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September 10, 2020 by Kelly Allen
Statement: Republicans’ “Skinny” COVID Relief Package Failed to Pass Senate. Urgent Need Remains for a Plan that is Proportionate to Magnitude of Crisis

For Immediate Release: September 10, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV - Today a Republican-proposed COVID relief package failed to pass the U.S. Senate. While West Virginia's communities desperately need additional relief, the provisions included in this legislation were far too meager to meet the immediate and ongoing needs of West Virginia families, many of whom…

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August 20, 2020 by Kelly Allen
ReImagine Appalachia Coalition Praises DNC Platform, but Identifies Room for Improvement

While the coalition applauds the platform's bold vision for the future, it says the party must do more to prioritize Appalachia and other rural communities. For Immediate Release: August 20, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV - ReImagine Appalachia is diverse coalition of organizations from West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio that put forward a policy blueprint to rebuild Appalachian…

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August 17, 2020 by WVCBP
Advocates Say Urgent Action Needed to Stop COVID-19 Outbreak in Jails

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact: Lida Shepherd at lshepherd@afsc.org or (304) 356-8428 Download PDF here. Charleston, WV – With a full blown outbreak of COVID-19 looming in the state’s regional jails, advocates reiterate the call to magistrates, circuit court judges, and prosecutors to use the full force of the new bail law to slow the spread of…

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