Over the last five years, firms with an economic interest in the expansion of drilling in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations — and their allies, supporters, and trade associations — have used a variety of tools and techniques to exaggerate the employment impacts of shale drilling. These strategies have ranged from the use of…
Reports & Briefs
The Affordable Care Act is expected to have a dramatic impact on access to health insurance in West Virginia. This will be especially true for racial and ethnic minorities. Even though the minority population in West Virginia is relatively small compared to other states, it is 50 percent more likely to lack health insurance than…
Falling revenues and rising costs have squeezed West Virginia’s budget in the past few years. Any new proposal or program gets extra scrutiny from legislators who must keep the budget balanced. But when legislators or taxpayers need an estimate of how much new legislation will cost or save the state, the information they receive is…
On April 14, 2013, the West Virginia House adopted HCR 107, expressing support for President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour and index it to inflation, in recognition of the decreasing value of the minimum wage and the idea that no one who works full-time should have to live…
This edition of The State of Working West Virginia is the sixth of its kind. Each year since 2008 this report has examined the numbers and trends that tell the story of how the people who keep our state moving are faring. While each year’s report has a slightly different focus, one constant theme is the need to…
The passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included a little-heralded provision to permit states to expand coverage of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to children of public employees. So far, at least seven states have benefited from allowing public employees to enroll their children in CHIP. If West Virginia were to adopt…
350,000 low-income people in West Virginia will see their food assistance cut when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) expires November 1, new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show. SNAP benefits will average only about $1.40 per person per meal after the cut.…
Later this week, the West Virginia Legislature will vote on the FY 2014 state budget. However, both the House and the Senate have their own budget bill, as well as the budget bill proposed by Governor Tomblin at the beginning of the legislative session. These three budgets must be reconciled into one bill before the…
By any measure, expanding Medicaid is a win all the way around. Lives will be saved and the quality of life will be improved for tens of thousands of West Virginia families. Health care providers and other consumers will find relief from bearing the costs of uncompensated care. And West Virginia’s economy will benefit from…
Central Appalachian Broadband Policy Recommendations The Central Appalachia Regional Network (CARN) advocates for policies that support the availability of affordable high-quality broadband services for the citizens of the Central Appalachia region. These include both policies that will support broadband deployment as well as policies to increase public awareness of the need for broadband and digital…