The 2019 Legislative Session ended last week, with the state budget passed a day early. While every year, the budget undergoes some changes from the governor’s proposal to the final product, this year saw relatively few changes. The FY 2020 budget proposed by Governor Justice includes new spending initiatives and pay raises while avoiding spending cuts…
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Charleston Daily Mail - A recent column by Hoppy Kercheval wrongly states that the revolution in shale development was the product of the “free market.” Nothing could be further from the truth. ReadFederal investments and involvement in the development of shale extraction technologies span three decades.In fact, the first successful multi-fracture horizontal drilling play was…
SB 387 is currently being considered by the West Virginia Senate. This bill would make applicants who test positive for drugs or refuse a drug test ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance. Our new blog post from health policy analyst Rhonda Rogombé explains how such a policy choice would further stigma, harm vulnerable…
To get a sense of a state's values, one often need look no further than its tax system. What a state spends its tax dollars on and how it acquires those tax dollars typically reveals a lot about the priorities of its people-what they care about and what they stand for. In theory, it's a…
Summer Policy Institute 2024 is almost here! SPI is a convening focused on policy, where participants learn the ins and outs of policy change through a research and data lens, as well as crucial skills rooted in community engagement and grassroots mobilization. Attendees will meet West Virginia leaders from government, non-profit advocacy, and grassroots organizing spaces to…
Last week, Governor Justice unveiled his proposal to make sweeping changes to the state’s tax system, including a substantial cut to the state’s personal income tax, while raising a variety of sales and other taxes. The tax reform would create a dramatic change in who pays state taxes in West Virginia, shifting the responsibility onto working families to…
In April 2024, the WVCBP called on the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) to make their policies and procedures public. Like most government agencies, DCR has the authority to create its own policies and procedures. This administrative law covers every facet of an agency that houses tens of thousands of people every…
Each year, tens of thousands of people will enter a West Virginia jail or prison. Each day, these facilities make decisions that shape the lives of each person incarcerated. A facility will decide when and how to provide medical care. Whether to approve a wife for visitation. Whether a person will be able to attend…
Come work with us! We're hiring two full-time, paid summer fellows. The WVCBP seeks a Criminal Legal Policy Fellow to research and write about best practices for improving the criminal system, with a focus on the areas of excessive sentences and reducing the harms caused by jails and prisons. The WVCBP also seeks an Economic…
West Virginians who work should be able to support their families and afford their basic needs. Unfortunately, too many jobs in West Virginia pay too little for workers and their families to make ends meet. 23% of workers in West Virginia are employed in low-wage jobs and over a quarter of those live in poverty.…