This past Friday we talked about the illusions that some people have about the role of government in the "free market." Another wrinkle in the free market mythology is how the federal government supports what Alexander Hamilton called "infant industries" with direct investments, subsidies and tariffs. This is especially true when it comes to the…
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Despite record-low unemployment rates and fully recovered employment and labor force participation rates, West Virginia is still down 24,300 jobs from its pre-pandemic level. The primary driving force behind this discrepancy is that West Virginia continues to experience population loss. While there is currently a higher percentage of West Virginians working than there was during the height…
For Immediate Release: September 17, 2024 Contact: Jeff Biddle Jr., Executive Director, Midian Leadership Project, midianleadership@gmail.com, (304)-382-8288 Charleston, WV – West Virginia’s criminal legal system for children is at a crossroads. Juvenile reforms implemented in the 2010s led to decreases in the number of criminal cases filed against youth. But as West Virginia emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend…
The WVCBP is excited to welcome Alex Gallo to our staff as our new Community Engagement Coordinator! Alex received a B.S. in Health Science from James Madison University, where she cultivated and deepened her passion for helping people in need. Prior to joining the Center, Alex worked with a variety of non-profit advocacy groups helping…
PoliticusUsa.com - I know facts have a hard time surviving and garnering any credibility in Trump’s truth-free political swamp, but let’s give asserting a few facts at the outset here the old college try. Read article. FACT: Homelessness in the U.S. has increased for the third year in a row under Trump’s rule. FACT: Despite…
West Virginia Press Association - The WV Center on Budget and Policy is hosting economic development training. ReadAccording to the WVCBP, the goal of the June 12 meeting is to "help progressives win on important economic issues facing West Virginia working families."Fiscal policy analyst Sean O'Leary, who has worked for over five years on tax…
KTVZ.com, Enews Park Forest - As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers new rules to rein in predatory practices in payday and similar types of lending, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and 31 Senate colleagues expressed support Thursday for the agency's first steps and urged the strongest possible rules to combat the "cascade of devastating financial…
New Research Finds Opioid Overdose Deaths Decline with More Generous Unemployment Insurance Benefits
As West Virginia lawmakers continue to consider Senate Bills 2 and 3, we urge them to keep in mind the conclusions of a recent study, which found that the harmful effects of job loss on opioid overdose mortality decline with increasing state unemployment benefit levels. The study, titled “Unemployment Insurance and Opioid Overdose Mortality in the United States,” looked at county…
New SNAP restrictions included in the federal debt ceiling deal will impact West Virginia more severely than any other state on a per capita basis due to the Mountain State’s aging population. Nationwide, nearly 750,000 older adults aged 50-54 will be at risk of losing their food assistance due to these new provisions, including 7,000 in West…
Essential workers were championed throughout the pandemic for their critical jobs keeping our economy afloat. But now, West Virginia legislators are considering gutting earned unemployment benefits for those very same workers if they lose their jobs through no fault of their own. Senate Bill 2 would cut the number of weeks that displaced workers are eligible for…