West Virginia Watch - West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey has formally asked the federal government to disallow the state’s food assistance program from paying for soda. Morrisey submitted a request for a waiver to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to make the change, the governor announced in a video message Tuesday. Read the full article.…
Tax and Budget
Charleston Gazette-Mail - AmeriCorps is a vital engine for progress in our state, and the recent decision to cancel $3 million in AmeriCorps grants in West Virginia represents a major setback. These cuts threaten to derail disaster response efforts, disrupt support for students who need it most and weaken the infrastructure of national service at…
Intermountain - A “Town Hall” on public education will be offered Monday in Elkins, although no representatives from the Randolph County Board of Education plan to take part, officials said. Read the full article. Together For Public Schools West Virginia will hold a Public Education Town Hall Meeting and Q&A Monday at the Phil Gainer…
Charleston MetroNews - As Congress moves toward making significant changes to the federal Medicaid program, Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia expressed support. Read the full article. Moore said the changes being considered maintain services for those who need the health insurance safety net while reducing spending. The proposals do institute more rigorous requirements that are anticipated…
WOWK - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, we discuss ambulance services, the transformation of West Virginia State University, budget issues and the work of Soledad O’Brien. Read the full article. In Segment One, we talk to Tom Susman of the Kanawha County Ambulance Authority about rising costs of emergency services. In…
Boston Globe - A music and art festival nestled in an Appalachian river valley wouldn‘t immediately seem like a place where President Trump’sDepartment of Government Efficiency would be top of mind. Read the full article. But outdoorsy locals at the annual Cheat River Festival last weekend were indeedruminating on the many ways the long arm…
Parkersburg News and Sentinel - A town hall meeting concerning the impact of school closures on education will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday in the banquet room at the Worthington Golf Course. Read the full article. The meeting, which will include a time for questions and answers, is sponsored by the Parkersburg Area Labor…
Following this year’s regular legislative session, the need for sufficient funding and support for public schools remains. Although several bills were introduced this session to modernize the school funding formula, prevent school closures, and provide increased pay and benefits for school employees, none of these bills passed. Meanwhile, the legislature approved continued funding for the…
Hampshire Review - The Hope Scholarship is an education savings account program available for K-12 students. It is an entitlement program that allows parents to use the state portion of their child’s education funding to provide individualized schooling for their child. For the 2024-2025 school year, just under $5,000 is being provided to each scholarship…
The final FY 2026 budget passed by the legislature during the 2025 legislative session closely resembled the budget introduced by Governor Morrisey back in February- largely flat from previous years with the impact of tax cuts and the ballooning cost of the Hope Scholarship crowding out many new investments. While the final budget was balanced…