Dominion Post - Counties in West Virginia are responsible for a lot of bills — including the cost of housing inmates from the county being held in regional jails. That makes the 81% increase in inmate population from 2000-2019 a problem for some counties. Read the full article. That population increase was one finding in…
WVCBP in the News
WV News - In the midst of a pandemic and an economic recession, politicians in a number of states, including West Virginia, are looking at cutting income taxes this session, panelists in a discussion hosted by the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy said Thursday. Read the full article. “It’s inexplicable to us. It’s almost…
West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia’s top elected officials are aiming at phasing out the state income tax, but doing so would be a major lift. Read the full article. The personal income tax represents 43 percent of the General Fund, or $1.97 billion of the base budget this fiscal year. In other words, it…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - I have a sneaking suspicion that the 2021 legislative session will be known as the session where bad ideas came to roost. Read the full article. The worst of those ideas already has resurfaced: Phasing out the state personal income tax. As a panel of budget and policy experts assembled by the…
WOWK 13 News - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, our guests are here to talk about transparency in the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, getting vaccines distributed to minority communities, the new Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia’s plans after two organizations merged and federal aid to feed families…
WOWK 13 News - On Inside West Virginia Politics, Seth DiStefano with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy talks about the COVID-19 aid package. The recent package included funding for aid to child nutrition and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Watch the full interview here. DiStefano says in West Virginia, that…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - In the midst of a pandemic and an economic recession, politicians in a number of states, including West Virginia, are looking at cutting income taxes this session, panelists in a discussion hosted by the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy said Thursday. Read the full article. “It’s inexplicable to us. It’s…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - More than half of the correctional employees in West Virginia have opted out of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, despite being prioritized by state health officials. Read the full article. They work with more than 9,800 incarcerated people who have not been prioritized in the state’s vaccine rollout plan, against a…
West Virginia Press Association - Because county governments must ultimately pay the costs associated with keeping people behind bars in their local jails, the explosion of county jail incarceration is driving enormous and growing pressure on county budgets. Read the full article. County spending on jails is rising, and the amount billed to counties by…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Governing - Since Dec. 1, there have been COVID-19 outbreaks in five of West Virginia’s regional jails and at least four correctional centers. Read the full article. During that time, at least 833 inmates in the 10 regional jails throughout West Virginia tested positive for the virus, and three outbreaks in…