Mountain State Spotlight - Last week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey called on the Legislature to take him up on the 10% tax cut he promised West Virginians during his State of the State Address. Read the full article. “Income taxes have been the bane of existence for many, many states,” Morrisey said. “Part of the reason…
Tax and Budget
In January, Governor Morrisey unveiled his proposed FY 2027 budget, which is now in the hands of the West Virginia Legislature to review, amend, and pass. Newly proposed tax cuts–on top of previously enacted tax cuts–as well as continued growth in the Hope Scholarship are creating significant budget strains, leading to considerable budget gaps in…
MSN - Some West Virginia lawmakers are proposing allocating $8 Million in emergency funding to Hancock County schools. It comes after the district announced last month it didn’t have the money to pay its teachers. Read the full article. A new survey from the Hunt Institute shows strong voter support for teachers. The pandemic spawned concerns from…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - A higher percentage of West Virginians are obese than in any other part of the country. Read the full article. With the state now poised to lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually in federal health care funding, Gov. Patrick Morrisey plans to embrace a “food-is-medicine” movement to bridge the gap and…
West Virginia Watch, Huntington Herald Dispatch - West Virginia lawmakers across the political spectrum tend to agree on the importance of prioritizing state policies that will expand our economy, increase incomes for families, and boost jobs. And understandably so, as the economy and cost of living are generally the top issues for their constituents and…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, GovTech - Public outcry over West Virginia political leaders’ pursuit of data center development has reached a fever pitch in recent months, with residents protesting and filing legal challenges against expected data center projects in Mason, Mingo and Tucker counties. Read the full article. But state lawmakers are ramping up their data center…
Mountain State Spotlight, My Buckhannon - Just days before the West Virginia Department of Education took over another school district, lawmakers were told they should cap private education scholarships based on need and better fund public schools. Read the full article. Clicking through a PowerPoint presentation, RAND Corporation policy analysts Benjamin Master and Brian Phillips told…
Infant and maternal mortality rates are often considered an indicator for the overall health and well-being of a community. West Virginia's rate of infant deaths is higher than the national average and Black babies are twice as likely to die in the prenatal period of their first year of life as white babies. Similarly, Black…
Times West Virginian, Yahoo News - After 15 months of unproductive efforts to speak to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, six protesters led by clergy in Morgantown decided a firmer statement was needed. Read the full article. Following the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. on his holiday, they put real stakes on the line to…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia has a people problem. From its counties to its cities and towns, and particularly its school systems, the state simply doesn’t have sufficient population for many of these institutions to operate effectively. Read the full article. Consider that the largest high school in West Virginia, Morgantown High School, has about…