The State Journal - Jason Barrett proved himself as a small businessman, running pizzerias long before his two-year stint as an elected official. ReadThat experience gave him a perspective other delegates heavily leaned on as they crafted a bill that became law during the 2014 legislative session, increasing wages for thousands of West Virginians.Barrett was…
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting - In Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's State of the State address last week, he proposed budget cuts all across the board, and Higher Education is looking at another big reduction this year. Read/ListenFor years, Higher Education in West Virginia has endured budget reductions from the state legislature. Some representatives from the…
Beckley Register-Herald -Union members continue to flock to the State Capitol to combat legislation they say will hurt their livelihoods. Friday morning, several dozen sat in the House of Delegates galleries and more on the floor during an hour-long public hearing on repealing the prevailing wage, the base pay that companies must pay their employees…
WTAP - It's up for discussion for the second year in a row in the West Virginia Legislature. Read/WatchAnd it will be discussed in Parkersburg this weekend.This time, an auto worker and former union member is talking about it with West Virginia lawmakers.He denies it's an anti-union issue.Terry Bowman says what he calls a "Workplace…
The State Journal - County by county, West Virginia's coalfield communities are being forced to cut jobs, eliminate programs and slash benefits as they steadily collapse alongside the Mountain State's plummeting coal severance tax revenue. Read Webster County Commissioner Jerry Hamrick is one of dozens of local leaders across the state's coal-reliant counties who is…
SNL - Though West Virginia coal producers expect state officials to continue to be cooperative in tugging against the federal government's "boot on our throat," there may be little even a Republican majority in the state will be able to do to dress the wounds inflicted by an increasingly hostile energy market. ReadAn industry that…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - There will be no major proposals coming this year from the Republican Legislature's new Joint Committee on Tax Reform, although a coalition of community organizations is pushing for a tax credit specifically aimed at low-income workers, a proposal with possible bipartisan support. ReadSen. Mike Hall, R-Putnam and a co-chairman of the tax…
The State Journal - As West Virginia struggles with above-average unemployment, a dying coal industry and continued population and job losses, state lawmakers are ready to again consider controversial right-to-work legislation to help save the state's struggling economy. ReadBut what is right-to-work, what does it do, and is it the magic bullet needed to kick-start…
The State Journal - West Virginia has been losing population for three straight years; the coal economy is in shambles; it now appears inevitable the state will lose a Congressional seat after the 2020 Census; and until now, government consolidation has never been taken seriously. Perhaps the time has come to realize the days of…
Parkersburg News and Sentinel - A public policy research group is advocating a state Earned Income Tax Credit in West Virginia. ReadA bottom-up tax cut like the Earned Income Tax Credit could help residents who work for low pay make ends meet, said Sean O'Leary, a senior fiscal policy analyst with the West Virginia Center…