WVCBP in the News

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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January 7, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Agency Promotes Earned Income Tax Credit

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…

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January 1, 2016 by Sean O'Leary
Minimum Wage to Increase in W.Va.

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - A new year means a new, higher minimum wage for workers in West Virginia. ReadGov. Earl Ray Tomblin in 2014 signed into law House Bill 4283, which increased the state's minimum wage in two steps - from $7.25 to $8 per hour on Jan. 1, 2015, and again to $8.75 per hour…

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December 29, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Gazette Editorial: West Virginia’s Dwindling Population

Charleston Gazette -West Virginia lost about 6,000 people in the 2014-15 fiscal year — shrinking for the third straight year — the U.S. Census Bureau says. By losing one-fourth of a percent, the Mountain State had the nation's worst decline, while most of America keeps growing. ReadConsider this contrast: In the 1940 census, both West…

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December 26, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Report: West Virginia’s Recovery from Recession Below Average

Associated Press, Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram, WCHS-TV -A report says West Virginia is lagging much of the country when it comes to recovery from the recession. Read The Pew Charitable Trust report shows that the state's tax revenue was about 1.1 percent higher in mid-2015 than it was in 2007 when adjusted for inflation. Nationally, states brought…

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December 26, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Pew Report: WV Recession Recovery Below Average

Charleston Gazette-Mail - A new report from Pew Charitable Trusts shows that revenue in a majority of states has recovered from the recession of 2008-09, although recoveries have varied widely, with revenue in 21 states still below the pre-recession peak year of 2007 when adjusted for inflation. Read West Virginia's tax revenue, as of the…

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