Despite record-low unemployment rates and fully recovered employment and labor force participation rates, West Virginia is still down 24,300 jobs from its pre-pandemic level. The primary driving force behind this discrepancy is that West Virginia continues to experience population loss. While there is currently a higher percentage of West Virginians working than there was during the height…
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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…
In honor of Women's Equality Day, recognizing the certification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) released a new report on women in unions. The report found that women in unions earn more than women who are not in a union in every state including West…
Intermountain - A “Town Hall” on public education will be offered Monday in Elkins, although no representatives from the Randolph County Board of Education plan to take part, officials said. Read the full article. Together For Public Schools West Virginia will hold a Public Education Town Hall Meeting and Q&A Monday at the Phil Gainer…
On Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported on the tax incentives offered to Gestamp, the auto parts company that is re-opening the stamping plant in South Charleston. Recently, we looked at the B&O tax incentive, but now with this memo of the agreement between the state and Gestamp, we can take a closer look. The highlights…
The 2023 state legislative session has seen both chambers heavily focused on turning the state’s revenue “surplus” into personal income tax cuts, despite the clear need for new spending after four years of austerity forced by flat budgets. We’ve covered at length the temporary factors driving the surplus, as well as the fallacy of calling it a surplus at…
Sunday Gazette-Mail - The outbreak of enterovirus – a severe respiratory illness -- in West Virginia and the recent cases of Ebola in the United States have made one thing crystal clear: We need public health policies that prevent the spread of disease and infection. One great way to do that is to ensure that…
West Virginia One of Just Eight States Still Cutting Funding for Higher Education Now that the recession is in the past, most states are restoring funding to higher education. West Virginia, however, is still reducing funding, second only to Wyoming, spending 21.6% less per student in FY 2014 than in FY2008, a reduction of over…
Second Meeting Held to Look at Tax Overhaul The history of West Virginia's previous efforts to overhaul its tax system and an overview of tax breaks going back over 100 years were on Monday's agenda of the Joint Select Committee of Tax Reform. Speakers included Revenue Secretary Bob Kiss and Deputy Secretary Mark Muchow at…
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…