WVCBP in the News

January 25, 2016 by Ted Boettner
W.Va. Officials Look for Answers on Impact of Tax Cuts on Budget

Beckley Register-Herald - State officials, grappling with a budget deficit for the third year in a row and foreseeing at least two more years of lagging revenues, are looking for answers. Depending on which side of the political aisle is promoting the solution, those answers vary. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's 2017 budget has a mixture…

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January 21, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Raise Up: WV Analysts Say Latest Minimum Wage Increase Too New to Gauge

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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January 20, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Higher Education Budget Cuts Threaten University Programs

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…

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January 16, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Most Speakers at Public Hearing Support Prevailing Wage

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…

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January 15, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Right to Work Law Subject of Saturday Town Meeting

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…

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January 14, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
WV Weakens as Coal Severance Crumbles

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…

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January 13, 2016 by Ted Boettner
West Virginia Coal Industry Seeking Relief from Legislature with Little to Give

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…

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January 12, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Tax Reform Unlikely, but Groups Push Low-Income Tax Credit

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…

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January 7, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Will Right-to-Work Kick-Start WV’s Struggling Economy?

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…

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January 7, 2016 by Ted Boettner
Is It Time for WV to Consolidate?

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…

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