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January 18, 2019 by
What is the SNAP Drug Felon Ban?

In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) which created a federal lifetime ban on benefits from SNAP for individuals convinced of drug-related felonies. State legislatures have the option to modify the terms of this ban or to opt out of the provision altogether. Download PDF.

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April 1, 2016 by
No Joke: Eight Ways to Help Balance the Budget

Eight Ways Legislators Can Balance the Budget West Virginia does not yet have a budget for the upcoming fiscal year which starts on July 1. Governor Tomblin is expecting to call legislators in for a special session but no date has been announced. At issue is how to bridge the $239 million budget shortfall. The…

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December 19, 2015 by
Manchin, Capito Split on New Federal Budget

Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia's two senators were on opposite sides of the giant year-end budget package passed Friday by Congress, and in somewhat unorthodox positions, with the Democrat bemoaning the billions the deal will add to federal debt and the Republican touting the funding increases for programs that will impact West Virginia. ReadRepublican Sen.…

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December 22, 2015 by
Work, Training Relinked to WV Food Stamps

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Up to 47,700 West Virginians could lose their food stamp benefits next year unless they work part-time or take job-training classes. ReadThe state Department of Health and Human Resources announced Monday that it is reinstating work and job-training requirements for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) benefits in nine counties — Kanawha,…

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April 8, 2019 by
Climbing the Mountain

The gender pay gap in West Virginia and policies to close it. A discussion with Public Policy Fellow Tara Holmes and Policy Outreach Coordinator Kelly Allen. https://www.facebook.com/WVCBP/videos/2513810252179590/  

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August 19, 2016 by
Report: WV Could Make Millions by Legalizing Marijuana

Charleston Gazette-Mail - A new report suggests that while legalizing marijuana might not eliminate the state's budgetary woes, it could bring in millions in much-needed revenue. ReadThe West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a nonprofit agency that regularly releases research on progressive causes, released a report Thursday that stated if marijuana was legalized and taxed in…

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September 16, 2013 by
Remembering “Mr. Public Health”

It's with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing this weekend of Dr. George Pickett, a titan of public health, not only in West Virginia but nationally and abroad. Dr. Pickett was a physician who spent his career working in public health in every imaginable way possible.  He worked at the local…

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November 9, 2014 by
After Small Upswing, Coal Production and Jobs Dip Again in Eastern Kentucky

Lexington Herald-Leader - After an upswing this year, coal production declined in Eastern Kentucky in the July-through-September quarter and dragged employment down with it. ReadStatewide, however, production rose for the third quarter in a row because of growth in Western Kentucky, according to a report released Friday by the state Energy and Environment Cabinet.Tonnage had…

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July 26, 2012 by
Another Tax Competitiveness Index Fails To Prove Anything

If you have read our blog before, by now you should be familiar with the variety of "tax climate" or "business friendly" indexes put out by groups like the Tax Foundation. And you should also know that these indexes have repeatedly failed to show any connectionbetween their scores and state economic performance. Peter Fisher at…

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