WVCBP in the News

November 17, 2015 by Seth DiStefano
New Web Site Shows How Families in Each Area of the State Benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit

Beckley Register-Herald - Proponents of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) unveiled a new tool Monday to help lawmakers see what the credit would do in their districts. ReadThe invest in Working Families Coalition launched the interactive web site www.investinwvfamilies.org, during a press conference at the Capitol. The site allows users to search the state…

Read More
November 17, 2015 by Seth DiStefano
Coalition Campaigns for Tax Credit for Low-Income Workers in WV

Charleston Gazette-Mail - A coalition of 18 citizen and community organizations kicked off a campaign Monday for passage of a state Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers, unveiling a website that shows the economic impact of the credit, by legislative districts. ReadSeth DiStefano, with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said the…

Read More
November 16, 2015 by Ted Boettner
West Virginians Can Boost Their Social Security Checks – By Waiting

West Virginia Public News Service - More than seven out of 10 West Virginia retirees put in for early Social Security, but experts say you can get a big boost to those monthly checks by waiting as long as you can. ReadYou can claim Social Security as early as age 62. But Kristen Arnold, an…

Read More
November 16, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Wages, Safety Lower in Right-to-Work States, Lawmakers Told

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Legislators heard the pros and cons Sunday of proposed legislation to make West Virginia a right-to-work state, with proponents saying it will help grow the state's economy, and opponents calling it an effort to destroy unions and hurt working-class families. ReadBoth sides agreed that average wages are lower in right-to-work states, but…

Read More
November 12, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Gazette Editorial: WV Lags on Work

Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia has 1.16 million working-age people between 18 and 65, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. State figures say 750,000 West Virginians hold jobs. That leaves about 400,000 without jobs — around one-third of the workforce. Therefore, the true jobless rate is about five times higher than the official rate of…

Read More
November 10, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Poor Health Among Many Reasons for Low State Workforce Participation

Beckley Register-Herald - An older, unhealthy and uneducated population is why West Virginia ranks last in workforce participation rate nationally. ReadA new report by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy looks beyond the known and examines what can be done to get West Virginians back to collecting a paycheck.It's beyond debate, for decades…

Read More
November 9, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Report: Thousands of West Virginians Can’t, or Aren’t Seeking, Work

Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia has the highest rate of unemployment in the country, with more than 7 percent of the state's workforce left without a job. ReadBut a new report released by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Monday says the state's labor problems go much deeper than the roughly 57,000 job…

Read More
November 9, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Report: WV Low Labor Force Attributed to Aging Population, Unskilled Workers

The State Journal - There's no question West Virginia has struggled with the nation's lowest levels of labor force participation for decades. Read The Mountain State ranks last nationally in labor force participation with only a little over 50 percent of the state's residents currently working – 9.9 percentage points below the national average, according…

Read More
November 6, 2015 by WVCBP
Kanawha Commissioners Approve Insurance Rate Hike for County Employees

Charleston Gazette-Mail - The Kanawha County Commission is worrying about their budget. ReadLooking at a $600,000 deficit in the budget, the commission approved the first phase of an attempt to reduce the amount they spend on health insurance for county employees.The new policy will affect all county employees, which is about 400 people. Those in…

Read More
November 5, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Shale Gas Industry Flourishes in W.Va.’s Marshall County

Triblive.com - Signs of a developing shale gas economy abound in Marshall County, W.Va. ReadThey dot the Ohio River south of Moundsville along state Route 2, where glistening fractionation towers rise above gas processing plants, powered by new electric substations across the highway. They fill parking lots with pickups, some with the out-of-state license plates…

Read More