West Virginia MetroNews - Lawmakers asked a range of questions about the state’s level of funding for human services, building their cases for financial decisions that could come to a head during special session as soon as next month. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has said he’ll soon call a special session over…
Tax and Budget
Wheeling Intelligencer, The Inter-Mountain, West Virginia News - Advocates for a strong and robust Medicaid system in West Virginia say the program is healthy, but changes and cuts being considered by the Legislature could put the program at risk of not meeting the needs of state residents. Read the full article. Advocacy organizations gathered in…
West Virginia MetroNews - Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr says state budget items may be revisited over the next few months, but he proposes a cautious approach to spending on health and human services. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has said he’ll soon call a special session over state financial matters, especially over…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - West Virginia’s state revenue is down from last fiscal year by 12 percent — a difference of more than $500 million. Read the full article. In March 2024, the state collected about $487.4 million. That is nearly $95 million over revenue estimates, but 6 percent lower than what it collected…
West Virginia MetroNews, WCHS - Amid nearly one-third of West Virginians relying on Medicaid, the state-federal affordable healthcare insurance program could face over a $100 million dollar shortfall if lawmakers don’t act. Read the full article. State healthcare experts met on Monday morning in Charleston advocating for West Virginia legislators to vote to preserve and…
West Virginia Watch, News from the States, Bluefield Daily Telegraph - With a special legislative session to address the state budget on the horizon, advocates for West Virginia Medicaid called on state policy makers Monday to fund the health care program. Read the full article. Ellen Allen, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health…
Late in the evening on the final day of the 2024 regular session, lawmakers passed what they referred to as a “skinny budget” totaling $4.997 billion in general revenue for FY 2025. The enacted budget reflects a spending increase of $122 million over FY 2024’s budget, but it is $226 million less than what the…
Associated Press, Cumberland Times-News - West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s administration has been characterized by flat budgets and record surpluses that helped cut the state’s income tax last year. Read the full article. Now, the state could face collateral damage: a possible $465 million clawback of pandemic aid by the U.S. Department of Education. It has…
Now that West Virginia families and businesses are filing their 2023 taxes, the state is beginning to see the full impact of tax changes enacted last year. February's revenue collections were historically weak, coming in 30 percent, or $124 million, below last February's collections. February's revenue numbers are the worst in at least a decade…
This week we got our first look at the House and Senate versions of the FY 2025 budget. Both the Senate and the House proposed budgets came in far below the governor’s proposed budget, even as the governor’s budget proposal is $450 million below pre-pandemic FY 2019 expenditures after adjusting for inflation. And while legislative…