WVCBP in the News

July 23, 2014 by Ted Boettner
Our Children, Our Future Campaign Holding Regional Meetings Across the State

West Virginia Metro News - A campaign aimed at improving communities and ending child poverty in West Virginia is holding regional workshops across the state. ReadThe Our Children, Our Future Campaign's goal is to identify and promote state policy opportunities at a local level which will improve communities and then achieve policy victories at the…

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July 13, 2014 by Ted Boettner
Study Highlights Low Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees

Sunday Gazette Mail - In West Virginia and many other states, the minimum wage for all workers is $7.25 an hour, but it is significantly less for tipped workers. Many restaurant owners only pay their workers a wage of $2.13 an hour, assuming tips will enable them to reach the minimum hourly wage. ReadSome waitresses…

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July 6, 2014 by Ted Boettner
We Must Do More to Fight Poverty in West Virginia

Charleston Exponent Telegram - Since our state's birth in the midst of the Civil War, residents of West Virginia have known poverty to a greater degree than most every state in the Union — with Mississippi lagging just behind us. Considering that 18 percent of Mountain State residents currently live in poverty, it's hard to…

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June 29, 2014 by Ted Boettner
Export-Import Bank Divides W.Va. Leaders

Charleston Gazette - Earlier this month, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., spoke in Charleston in support of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Read"I was always trying to figure out ways to access export trade for West Virginians," Manchin said at the June 16 small-business forum attended by Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg. "We have a global market…

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June 22, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
Education Officials Eye Tuition and Budget Woes

Clarksburg Exponent Telegram — Lawmakers and higher education officials must work together to stop the trend of higher education funding cuts and tuition increases, officials said. ReadAnd accomplishing this feat will require compromises from all parties, said David Hendrickson, a member of the Higher Education Policy Commission.Higher education institutions have again been subjected to state…

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June 19, 2014 by Ted Boettner
West Virginia Lags Behind in Technology Focused Economic Index

Charleston Gazette - After West Virginia ranked in the last three spots for the past seven State New Economy Index reports, Ted Boettner, executive director at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said he would like to see some changes. Read "While we should always be cautious about economic indexes that over simplify…

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June 14, 2014 by WVCBP
Highmark W.Va. Gets Competition from Kentucky in ACA Marketplace

Charleston Gazette - The Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace in West Virginia will see a new element introduced to it in time for the 2015 open enrollment period — competition. Friday was the deadline for insurance providers to enter the ACA marketplace. Read Highmark West Virginia, previously the only insurer in the state's ACA…

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June 12, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
Student Loan Refinancing Bill Stalls in Senate

West Virginia Metro News - People with federal and private student loans issued prior to 2010 will not have the opportunity to refinance those loans at today's lower interest rates — at least not right now. Read There were not enough votes in the U.S. Senate this week to move forward with a proposed bill…

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June 6, 2014 by WVCBP
Nationwide, West Virginia Second in Medicaid Expansion

Charleston Gazette - The number of people getting health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program has increased more in West Virginia than in almost any other state since Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, according to data from the federal government released Wednesday. Read As of April 30, nearly 154,000…

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June 5, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
State Employee Raises a National Trend

Charleston Daily Mail - Just a few years after the Great Recession led to job loss and stagnant wages across the country, many public employees in several states, including West Virginia, are set to see their paychecks increase. Read The West Virginia Legislature passed a budget bill in March that included a $504 across-the-board raise…

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