West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia political leaders agree they’re interested in phasing out the state’s personal income tax, but just a few days before the annual legislative session begins no one is saying how. Read the full article. “As for the absolute details on the personal income tax, not yet,” said Senate President Craig…
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and exacerbated societal inequities. Read the full article. Black and Latino populations have suffered higher infection rates. People working low-income jobs are more likely to be considered essential — and therefore required to work in-person — while others have the luxury of working remotely. The…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia is incarcerating more people than its regional jail system is meant to hold, and it is costing some county governments more money than they can pay. Read the full article. At least 10 counties in West Virginia are more than 90 days past due on a combined $9 million in…
West Virginia MetroNews - With the 2021 legislative session in West Virginia just weeks away, criminal justice reform is being discussed and priorities are taking shape during a summit in West Virginia. Read the full article. American Friends Service Committee, WV Council of Churches, WV Center on Budget and Policy, ACLU-WV, and Appalachian Prison Book…
WV News - A coalition of 40 organizations from around the state are calling on West Virginia lawmakers to commit to holding an open and transparent legislative session. Read the full article. In a letter sent to the Democratic and Republican leadership teams in the House of Delegates and state Senate, the groups urge legislators…
The Ascent - Traditionally, the Child Tax Credit has been a bipartisan issue, with lawmakers on both sides aware of the impact such a credit would have on the lives of their constituents. Not so these days. Rather than pass the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), members of Congress and the Senate debated the issues…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Some of West Virginia’s political leaders want to abolish the state income tax. One has even said doing so would help bring 400,000 new people to live in West Virginia. Read the full article. If memory serves, some of the same people predicted that abolishing the state’s prevailing wage for workers on public…
WV Public Broadcasting - The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the economy across much of the world and the country, including West Virginia. But, economists are hopeful for recovery with the rollout of the vaccine, pointing to early signs of a rebound across several sectors and a prediction for full recovery to pre-pandemic levels next year. Read…
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…
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…