West Virginia Watch, Beckley Register-Herald - Earlier this month, Gov. Jim Justice announced that legislators have had sufficient time to reach a consensus on his proposal to slash the state’s personal income tax for the third time in 18 months. In reality, the first two rounds of tax cuts have not even been fully phased…
OpEds
Charleston Gazette-Mail - School is officially back in session for children across the Mountain State — with the vast majority (90%) receiving their education in our public school system. The new school year brings excitement and opportunities, but this year in West Virginia it also brings challenges as school districts face serving their students with…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Earlier this week, Gov. Jim Justice stood on a stage with balloons, banners and giant scissors to celebrate what his team hailed as a historic revenue announcement. The announcement? State revenues hit a complicated trigger formula which will automatically reduce the personal income tax by about $80 million — resulting in an…
Spirit of Jefferson - After five years of flat budgets, lawmakers returned to Charleston for the 2024 legislative session with many important spending priorities to address major needs. Members of the Republican majority have said they want to provide pay raises for public employees and raise starting salaries in sectors with vacancies, increase provider reimbursement…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Three days before Christmas, a 24-year-old man died at the Southern Regional Jail in Raleigh County. He was one of at least 27 people who died at that one facility over the past three years. Read the full op-ed. This could be a moment for action — a chance to finally address…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Martinsburg Journal - The only thing West Virginia lawmakers are constitutionally required to do during the Legislature’s regular session is to pass a state budget for the ensuing fiscal year. But responsible stewardship requires looking beyond just the next year to ensure the state is on a sustainable fiscal path, as elected officials…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Last month, Derek Hudson walked out of Charleston’s Bream SHOP to find a distraught man yelling that his bike had been stolen from the sidewalk. The man paced back and forth, on the verge of tears. The handful of people outside Bream SHOP averted their eyes and avoided engaging with him. Read…
Spirit of Jefferson - According to the Census Bureau’s official poverty estimates, West Virginia saw its child poverty rate increase from 20.7 percent to 25.0 percent between 2021 and 2022, the only state to see an increase by the official measure (along with Puerto Rico). In 2022, West Virginia’s child poverty rate was the second…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - For West Virginia to thrive, we need great schools, safe communities and quality infrastructure. With the end of the state’s fiscal year upon us, the upcoming days will undoubtedly be inundated with news releases and news coverage of West Virginia’s revenue surplus. Unfortunately, rather than the surplus signaling a thriving economy, it…
West Virginia News, Exponent-Telegram, Spirit of Jefferson - SNAP restrictions included in this month’s federal debt limit deal will impact the Mountain State more severely than any other state on a per capita basis due to West Virginia’s aging population. Read the full op-ed. Nationwide, nearly 750,000 older adults aged 50-54 will be at risk…