On December 4, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Trump Administration finalized their rule on SNAP time limit waivers. The rule restricts states' flexibility to waive SNAP's three-month time limit in areas with insufficient jobs and will take basic food assistance from 700,000 Americans including 10,100 West Virginians who struggle to find steady…
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During the 2023 regular legislative session, West Virginia lawmakers introduced more than 300 bills related to the criminal legal system. Nearly half of those bills created new criminal offenses or increased penalties for existing crimes. To a Hammer, Every Problem is a Nail One trend that emerged was lawmakers’ penchant for believing that the criminal…
Summer Policy Institute 2023 is a convening focused on policy, where participants will 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. Policy sessions will equip participants to focus on defining the problem as a key first step…
The jobs picture in West Virginia continues to look bleak. This is especially true for males. The male 2010 1st quarter unemployment rate was 11.6% compared to a strong 4.0% in the last quarter of 2007. While the female unemployment rate increased 2 percentage points since the start of the Great Recession, the male unemployment…
In March 2023, lawmakers passed legislation, Senate Bill 633, to address a growing reason why people are taken to West Virginia jails: capiases. A capias – or bench warrant – is an arrest order issued by a magistrate or judge. The number of people brought to jail on a capias arrest in West Virginia increased from…
The WVCBP is thrilled to share that we've added two new incredible members to our team! Ash Orr (they/them, he/his) is now serving as the Center's policy outreach coordinator. Before joining the WVCBP, Ash worked as a political organizer for RepresentUs and he currently serves as the Chair of the Morgantown Human Rights Commission. As…
Budget Beat - September 13, 2013 How Much Should You Be Making? Over the Labor Day weekend, the Economic Policy Institute released a tool you can use to see what you would be earning had wages kept up with productivity. Read more in Sean's blog post this week. Starting October 1, 2013 the new insurance…
SPI 2022 THEME: Growing a West Virginia that Works for Everyone July 28–30, 2022 The 2020 Census results revealed that West Virginia experienced more population loss than any other state in the nation between 2010 and 2020. During this year’s SPI, we will create space for our participants to explore what it might take to…
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy is partnering with the West Virginia Council of Churches on Strength in Stability, a digital project telling the stories of West Virginians who were empowered by the security they found by receiving benefits from programs like SNAP and Medicaid. We tell the success stories of those who…
Here is an article done by the folks at the Center for Rural Strategies, which I may have stolen the title from, about the impact of the Great Recession on rural counties. West Virginia was one of four states, the others being Michigan, Alabama, and Georgia, that lost over 10 percent of their rural jobs. Since July…