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January 24, 2020 by
Positive Health Care Reforms On the Move at the Capitol

The second full week of the West Virginia Legislature saw several developments, some good, others not so much. The week started off with the Senate Judiciary Committee passing yet another Article V Constitutional Convention Resolution, SCR 4. Under the guise of instituting "Term Limits" on members of Congress, well-funded special interests seek to undermine our…

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January 24, 2020 by
Positive Health Care Reforms On the Move at the Capitol

The second full week of the West Virginia Legislature saw several developments, some good, others not so much. The week started off with the Senate Judiciary Committee passing yet another Article V Constitutional Convention Resolution, SCR 4. Under the guise of instituting "Term Limits" on members of Congress, well-funded special interests seek to undermine our…

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May 10, 2024 by
SNAP Restrictions Fail to Connect Vulnerable Residents to Work While Straining Charitable Food Providers

In July 2023, West Virginia reimplemented pre-pandemic time limits for some adults receiving food assistance via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The time limits apply to adults between 18 and 52 (up to 54 in September 2024) without a documented disability and without children under 18 in the household, often referred to as “able-bodied…

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December 20, 2013 by
Budget Beat – December 20, 2013

Thank You for Voting! Future Fund and Higher Minimum Wage Make the Top Five This week many of you voted on the issues you want the Our Children Our Future campaign to focus on during the 2014 Legislative Session. Two of the WVCBP's major initiatives, Increasing the Minimum Wage and Creating a Future Fund, made…

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October 29, 2021 by
Five Scary Charts About West Virginia in 2021

It’s Halloween week — time to get spooky! Who needs ghost stories when you have spine-tingling bars and trend lines? Our newest blog post highlights five ghoulish charts about West Virginia in 2021 that should make you shudder (and fight for needed change!). Topics explored include state job loss, ongoing unemployment, prematurely terminated federally-funded unemployment…

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March 26, 2021 by
Two Personal Income Tax Cuts Now on the Table, Both Disproportionately Benefit the Wealthy and Create Gaping Budget Holes

Two plans to eliminate West Virginia's state income tax are now under consideration, one proposed by Governor Justice and the other by the West Virginia House of Delegates. The two proposals differ significantly, but they both disproportionately benefit the wealthiest West Virginians and create vast holes in the state budget, necessitating massive, painful cuts to critical public services. The…

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July 16, 2013 by
What Does It Take To Get By In West Virginia?

The Economic Policy Institute has updated its Family Budget Calculator for 2013. The Family Budget Calculator measures the  income level necessary for families to secure an adequate but modest living standard by estimating community-specific costs of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, other necessities, and taxes. The calculator gives a broader measure of economic welfare than…

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April 29, 2025 by
K-12 Education and the 2025 Legislative Session: Much Talk But Little Meaningful Action

Children in West Virginia are constitutionally guaranteed a thorough and efficient system of free schools provided by the legislature. In recent years, our public education system has faced mounting challenges including declining enrollment, declining state revenues due to tax cuts, increased disinvestment through the Hope Scholarship, and threats to federal funding and support for public…

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January 8, 2015 by
Want to Help Stop Flu Outbreak? Let More Workers Have Paid Sick Time

Just a month into peak flu season, the CDC has already declared a national epidemic due to the flu's widespread activity and the deadly nature of this year's virus. West Virginia is no exception. The outbreak is considered widespread across our state, as you can see from the the map below. While preventing the spread of the…

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May 12, 2020 by
West Virginia’s Budget Shortfall Could Top $3.6 Billion Through FY 2022

The pressure on the state budget from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic fallout continues to mount. In April, state revenue collections were $192 million below estimates, setting the stage for what could be a total $500 million shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. Moreover, recent economic projections from the Congressional Budget Office…

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