State Journal - If there’s one thing insurance experts, government officials, public employees and policy wonks can agree on, it’s that fixing the state’s Public Employees Insurance Agency won’t be easy. Read.
WVCBP in the News
Charleston Gazette - We praised the Legislature for getting the West Virginia budget done by the end of the regular 60-day session, which was fair as far as it goes. No one wanted (or wanted to pay for) the special session marathon like last year. Read.
Rantt Media - After nine days of striking, teachers in West Virginia finally got what they wanted: a modest five percent pay raise and a guarantee that their health insurance premiums would not go up. Read.
Rewire - At a town hall with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) in Wheeling, West Virginia, on February 27, sixth-grader Gideon Titus-Glover pointed out that the governor’s plans to increase the state’s tourism budget was a conflict of interest. Read.
State Journal - A recent study by an Illinois-based public policy institute suggests prevailing wage laws help improve income disparities between white and minority construction workers. Read.
Charleston Gazette - A while back, the Justice administration was pursuing work requirements as a condition for getting Medicaid. After discovering the facts and economics of how Medicaid works, the governor and his people wisely put that proposal aside and moved on to other priorities. Read.
HuffPost - Jessica Jernegan joined her fellow teachers to rally at the Oklahoma state Capitol in 2014 and demand more funding for schools. Despite the pleas of an estimated 25,000 protesters, the Republican-dominated legislature had other priorities in mind. Read.
Inequality.org - Teachers are ready to revolt. That’s the message we ought to take away from West Virginia, where educators in every county went on strike to demand better compensation. The teachers secured a major victory, including a 5 percent pay raise for state public employees. Read.
Charleston Gazette - West Virginia continues to experience a steady economic recovery. Read.
Beckley Register-Herald - A bill implementing work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one step closer to becoming law. Read.