West Virginia University is currently facing a $45 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, expected to balloon to $75 million annually by 2028. During this year’s State of the University address, WVU President Gordon Gee pointed to several factors driving the shortfall including declining college-aged population, lower college-going rates, and rising financial costs.…
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Wednesday night, the full WV Senate took up HB 3300, the House-originated personal income tax cut plan, and made a significant amendment before quickly passing the bill. Senators voted on the legislation without having had adequate time to fully discuss and comprehend its far-reaching implications -- a reckless action given that the bill would impact every…
Legislators are proposing slashing benefits for unemployment insurance (UI) for laid off workers in West Virginia. These cuts would have a devastating impact on struggling families and would further harm our state's economy. HB 5276 would reduce unemployment benefits by nearly 25% by cutting the length of time a laid off worker can access unemployment from…
Join Us for the First Evening of the 2016 Summer Policy InstituteThe Inaugural 2016 Summer Policy Institute (SPI) will be held July 29-31, 2016 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.Students from across West Virginia will be a part of this first-ever event.The first evening of 2016 Summer Policy Institute is free and open to…
West Virginia has long faced significant health-related challenges, many of which could have been meaningfully addressed by bills introduced during the 2023 legislative session. While a couple of positive health-focused bills were passed by the legislature this year, unfortunately lawmakers focused much of their attention on health-related policies based on fear—not facts. Two bills that…
Last week, the U.S. House passed a "farm bill" that for the first time in decades did not include food assistance or SNAP (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) for vulnerable children and families. This move came on the heels of an earlier version passed by the U.S. House in June that reduced SNAP…
The Affordable Care Act is expected to have a dramatic impact on access to health insurance in West Virginia. This will be especially true for racial and ethnic minorities. Even though the minority population in West Virginia is relatively small compared to other states, it is 50 percent more likely to lack health insurance than…
The 2018 regular legislative session was certainly one to remember. West Virginia saw its first-ever statewide teachers strike, a host of bad bills introduced, and a governor often missing from the statehouse at critical times. Let’s take a look back at what happened and how low- and moderate-income West Virginians fared under the capitol dome…
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…
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…