West Virginia MetroNews, Dominion Post - PEIA’s Finance Board is going around the state for conversations about what many public employees will likely consider bad news, a 10 percent premium increase for the coming year. Read the full article. That’s on top of a 24 percent increase for state employees and educators instituted for the…
WVCBP in the News
Public News Service - A new study of incarceration trends shows Black people are jailed at a rate three times higher than their white peers in West Virginia, even though they only make up 14% of the population. Read the full article. In addition, research from the Prison Policy Initiative found disparities in the criminal justice system…
Mountain State Spotlight - From the Greenbrier to the governor’s mansion, Jim Justice has spread the word about the state’s $1.8 billion surplus this year. But there’s another $1 billion just laying around, too. Read the full article. It’s called the Rainy Day Fund. In plain English, it’s West Virginia’s emergency fund — the proverbial “oh crap”…
WOWK - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, we take a look at foster care and child protective services in the Mountain State, as well as the current open enrollment period for Medicare. We also hear more about the saga to elect a new Speaker of the House in Washington. Read the…
WOWK - West Virginia has the highest rate of foster children in the nation, and advocates are again calling for more help. Some have called the foster care system a crisis, and it’s certain to be one of the top three issues when the legislature convenes in January. Read the full article. For every 1,000…
WOWK - There are critical shortages at food banks and pantries across the state, but now some major help is on the way. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) is sending in more money, fulfilling a pledge he made in this year’s State of the State Address. Food pantries, such as the one…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting, West Virginia News - The Black Infant and Maternal Health Working Group hosted a breakfast and meet and greet with lawmakers Monday at the capitol. Read the full article. The event brought together advocates, affected community members, health professionals, and policymakers to address Black infant and maternal health outcomes in West…
West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia’s drug overdose mortality rate is the highest in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1,500 West Virginians will have died from a drug overdose from May 2022 to May of this year. Read the full article. In addition, thousands more West Virginians have drug problems. A survey…
West Virginia MetroNews - A new report conducted by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy shows West Virginia places the most children in foster care compared to any state in the country, with four times as many kids in the system per capita as the United States as a whole. Read the full article. Kelly…
Tax Notes - The creation of a child tax credit or earned income tax credit in West Virginia could help relieve the state’s overburdened foster care system, according to a nonprofit research organization. Read the full article. In a report published October 12, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy examined the state’s struggling…