West Virginia Watch, News From the States, Mountain Messenger - Gov. Patrick Morrisey wants to accelerate cuts to the state’s personal income tax, and he’ll ask lawmakers to get behind the idea during the upcoming legislative session. Read the full article. “I wanted to make clear that one of our top priorities during the session…
Tax and Budget
West Virginia Watch - As the 2026 West Virginia legislative session nears, the West Virginia Watch team is gearing up to keep you informed over the 60-day law-making process. Read the full article. We’ll be watching everything from health care reforms and support for the state’s foster children to economic development plans and policies that…
The Hope Scholarship is a school voucher program that diverts taxpayer funds from public education and other public goods to cover the costs of private schooling and other non-public education options. The program is expected to cost West Virginia about $245 million in Fiscal Year 2027. When the program began in 2022, about $9 million…
Real WV - The West Virginia Democratic Party, on Monday, sharply criticized Governor Patrick Morrisey for his refusal to release a taxpayer-funded report prepared by the West Virginia Department of Revenue that analyzes the impact of President Donald Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” on West Virginia’s finances. With nearly 50 percent of West Virginia’s operating…
West Virginia MetroNews - The 1 o’clock hour focuses on health care affordability and economic pressure facing West Virginians as Kelly Allen, Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, breaks down the expiration of ACA tax credits and what rising premiums could mean for families, retirees, and small business owners. The…
WVVA - The West Virginia Democratic Party on Monday criticized Gov. Patrick Morrisey for declining to release a taxpayer-funded analysis prepared by the West Virginia Department of Revenue that the party says examines the impact of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” on the state’s finances. Read the full article. In a news release,…
West Virginia MetroNews - Congress left for holiday break with no resolution to a lingering healthcare tangle. Read the full article. Without any congressional action, about 22 million Americans who receive the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to lower the cost of their insurance premiums will experience a spike. The subsidies expire Dec. 31. The open enrollment…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Coverage of the state’s involvement in private education invariably interests me. Read the full article. A recent op-ed by Kelly Allen of the West Virginia Budget and Policy Center provided a host of new and important data on the Hope Scholarship, the state’s school voucher program. The column is widely available and…
Mountain State Spotlight, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Clay County Free Press, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Williamson Daily News - West Virginia state officials will not release a report that analyzes the effects of a spending bill that President Donald Trump dubbed “the Big Beautiful Bill” on the state. Read the full article. With around 50% of West Virginia’s operating…
Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Marietta Times - The Wood County Commission is again looking at jail costs as those continue to increase for housing prisoners within the regional jail system. Read the full article. Sara Whitaker, senior criminal legal policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, talked to the commission this…