WVCBP in the News

October 30, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
21 Other Counties Already at Levy Rate Kanawha Seeks

Charleston Gazette - If an additional Kanawha County Schools excess levy is passed Nov. 9, the county will join 21 others around the state that already collect the maximum amount of property taxes legally allowed for education purposes. Read If passed, tax rates in Kanawha County -- the state's largest -- would be about 15…

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October 26, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Economy: State Transition

Charleston Gazette - West Virginia's heavy dependence on blue-collar industries -- once a source of prosperity -- is a millstone around the state's neck as the new Information Age shifts to high-paying, knowledge-based employment in much of America. Too often, West Virginians are stuck with low-paying service jobs. Read That's the basic message of "From…

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October 25, 2013 by WVCBP
Manchin Urges Yearlong Delay of Health Insurance Penalties

Charleston Gazette - Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., continued to express opposition to implementing a federal mandate requiring all Americans to get health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act -- even though advocates of the health-care law say removing the "individual mandate" would be catastrophic for health-care reform efforts. Read

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October 25, 2013 by WVCBP
Manchin Proposes Delay to ACA Individual Mandate

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Senator Joe Manchin is proposing a delay in a key component to the federal Affordable Care Act, the individual mandate. Manchin defended his legislation saying it allows the administration more time to fix glitches in the enrollment system, but a left-leaning policy group in Charleston maintains a delay will have…

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October 22, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Policy Center Argues for Higher Minimum Wage

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - The current minimum wage standard is not cutting it, according to a report issued this month by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read The report, titled "Giving West Virginia Workers a Raise: Increasing the State Minimum Wage," includes an analysis of wage statistics suggesting that the true value of…

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October 21, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Food Stamps for West Virginia’s Minimum Wage Fast Food Workers?

West Virginia Public News Service and Hampshire Review - They work hard to get you a hot cup of coffee in the morning or a quick dinner at night, but many minimum wage fast-food workers depend on public assistance to feed their own families. Read  According to research from the University of California at Berkeley,…

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October 20, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Statehouse Beat: Who Will Pay for Highways?

Sunday Gazette-Mail - Apparently upset that the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways failed to find a pot of gold to pay for construction and maintenance of state roadways, a trio of Republican delegates -- Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan; Paul Espinosa, R- Jefferson; and Gary Howell R-Mineral -- announced they were heading down to Richmond to…

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October 18, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Study: Raising Minimum Wage Would Make WV Economy Work Better

West Virginia Public News Service - Raising the minimum wage would help the state's working poor and in the process, improve the economy for everyone, according to a new analysis. Read  Sean O'Leary, policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, is the author of the new report, Giving West Virginia's Workers…

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October 14, 2013 by WVCBP
CAMC Benefits Cut Won’t Affect ‘Cadillac tax’

Charleston Gazette - Cutting benefits to part time workers may save CAMC money but it's unlikely to change the amount the hospital pays in "Cadillac" tax, those familiar with that provision of the Affordable Care Act, said. Read Earlier this week, Charleston Area Medical Center announced it would cut back health benefits for its part-time…

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October 13, 2013 by WVCBP
West Virginia to Benefit More from ACA than Most Other States

Charleston Gazette - West Virginians will see more benefits from the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, than residents of almost any other state, according to a new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read In West Virginia 81 percent of currently uninsured residents will receive some sort of financial help in getting…

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