WVCBP in the News

March 7, 2024 by WVCBP
A Last-minute Bill to Cut Unemployment Benefits has Lawmakers Confused. They’re Rushing it Through Anyway

Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian, Fayette Tribune - As the House Finance Committee began discussing a quickly-drafted unemployment bill on Monday, it quickly became apparent that lawmakers were going to have lots of questions. Within minutes, the committee hit its first roadblock: How much are unemployment benefits?  Read the full article. Questions continued over the course…

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March 6, 2024 by Sara Whitaker
Senate Quietly Resurrects Bill that Would Prevent Judges from Releasing Defendants Charged with a Felony Without Bail

Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald - Senators are trying to breathe new life into a bill that critics say would lead to more people sitting in jail awaiting trial after a House Committee overwhelmingly rejected the legislation last week.  Read the full article. SB 725 would’ve stripped magistrates — who generally see someone first after they…

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March 6, 2024 by WVCBP
People with Disabilities Over-represented in Justice System

Public News Service - Nationwide, people with disabilities are overrepresented both as victims of crime and those who are accused of crimes, and advocates believe the justice system could do much more to improve accessibility. Read the full article. The system is not always fair to people with autism, cognitive disabilities and learning disorders, and…

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March 6, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
House Finance Committee Moves Bill Making Unemployment Fund Changes

Weirton Daily Times, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, The Intermountain - Members of a West Virginia House of Delegates committee signed on to a state Senate bill making changes to unemployment benefits. But opponents believe it could end up adding to the state’s already poor labor force participation rate. Read the full article. The House Finance…

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March 4, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Bill Cutting Unemployment Benefits Heads to the House Floor for Vote

West Virginia Watch, News from the States - A bill that would cut the duration of unemployment benefits in the state is heading for a vote by the full West Virginia House of Delegates. Read the full article. After a 3.5 hour discussion Monday afternoon, the House finance committee voted 14 to 9 to advance Senate…

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March 3, 2024 by WVCBP
West Virginia’s Schools Might be Forced to Pay for ‘In God We Trust’ Signage

Daily Kos - West Virginia’s almost entirely Republican state Senate passed a bill in late January that would require schools in the state to display “In God We Trust'' signs—in every single classroom. When the state’s House Education Committee took up the bill, it was initially amended to require signage in a single prominent area of each…

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March 1, 2024 by Kelly Allen
West Virginia Senate Advances Work Requirements Expansion for SNAP Benefits

Ballotpedia News - The West Virginia Senate on February 23, 2024, passed Senate Bill 562, which aims to raise the age of able-bodied adults without dependents who must meet work requirements to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the state. Read the full article. Current federal requirements mandate that able-bodied adults without dependents…

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February 28, 2024 by WVCBP
Senate Changes, Passes Bill To Reduce Unemployment Benefits

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The Senate passed a bill that would reduce overall unemployment benefits but increase initial benefits.  Read the full article. Senate Bills 840 and 841 would have steeply cut unemployment benefits. Those bills were combined and amended to substantially reduce the change to the state’s unemployment benefits.  The engrossed bill that passed the Senate shaves two weeks…

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February 28, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Once a Priority, Efforts to Address State’s Child Care Desert Stalled in Statehouse

West Virginia Watch, News from the States - Legislation that would help West Virginians access and afford child care has slowed to a halt in the Legislature, despite early signals that it would be a priority this session. Read the full article. “I’m feeling very discouraged,” said West Virginia Association for Young Children Executive Director Kristy Ritz.…

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