Tax and Budget

January 13, 2026 by Kelly Allen
2026 Legislature: GOP to Work on Tax Breaks, Teacher Pay; Dems Want Recreational Pot

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Public records digitization, tax cuts and adult recreational-use cannabis were among the topics discussed Friday, as politicians addressed members of the state’s media during the West Virginia Press Association’s annual Legislative Lookahead. Read the full article. Appearing at the Culture Center in Charleston as part of the event, were Secretary of State…

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January 12, 2026 by Kelly Allen
Morrisey Asks WV Agencies to Cut Their Budgets, Don’t Ask State to Replace Lost Federal Funds

West Virginia Watch, Beckley Register-Herald, Times West Virginian, Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia state agencies — in charge of schools, road repairs, foster care and more — along with the state Supreme Court have been asked by the Morrisey administration to cut their budgets by 2%. Read the full article. Additionally, an August memo from the Department…

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January 12, 2026 by Seth DiStefano
Jail Costs Continue to Rise, Straining Budgets Across West Virginia

WCHS - County jail bills continue to skyrocket, but revenues can't seem to keep up. Read the full article. It's an issue commissioners have brought to lawmakers for years. Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler said they're expecting a $1 million increase at minimum this year for their jail bill. "I don't believe those revenues are…

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January 8, 2026 by Kelly Allen
Morrisey Tax Approach Risks Leaving Bill-burdened Electric Ratepayers Unprotected

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Gov. Patrick Morrisey often preaches what he calls “the fundamentals.” Read the full article. At a Charleston news conference Monday in which he proposed another personal income tax cut, a move expected to favor higher-income taxpayers, Morrisey defined “the fundamentals” as including cutting taxes and “inefficient” spending, plus “moving faster and faster.”…

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January 8, 2026 by WVCBP
WV Criminal Law Reform Coalition Calls for Compassion and Common Sense on Jails and Prisons During 2026 Legislative Session

For Immediate Release: January 8, 2026 Contact: Kenny Matthews, (304)-545-3953 CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Criminal Law Reform Coalition is holding a press conference in the Little Rotunda East (off the California Street side of West Virginia State Capitol) at 10am on Monday, January 12 to underscore the ongoing crisis in our jails, the ineffectiveness of enhanced penalties, and the solutions…

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January 8, 2026 by Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen: Invest in Public Services, Not Trickle-down System (Opinion)

Charleston Gazette-Mail - In West Virginia and across the country, families are facing an affordability crisis, one where the costs of life’s necessities are rising faster than wages. This is impacting many households’ ability to create a better, or even similar, life to the one their parents had. Read the full op-ed. There are many…

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January 6, 2026 by Kelly Allen
Income Tax Break? Morrisey Wants 5-10% Cut OK’d in Upcoming Legislative Session

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Monday detailed his plan to reduce the state’s income tax by assigning more specific percentages to his proposed reductions. Read the full article. “We’re going to work closely with the legislature on these numbers, but we’re looking at at least a 5-10% [reduction],” Morrisey said during a news…

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January 6, 2026 by Kelly Allen
Morrisey Lays Out Plans for Personal Income Tax Cuts

Martinsburg Journal-News - With personal income tax cuts going into effect for 2026 in neighboring Kentucky and Ohio, Gov. Patrick Morrisey wants to move faster than West Virginia’s current glidepath for reducing personal income tax rates during the legislative session starting next week. Read the full article. During his first press conference of the new…

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