The passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included a little-heralded provision to permit states to expand coverage of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to children of public employees. So far, at least seven states have benefited from allowing public employees to enroll their children in CHIP. If West Virginia were to adopt…
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The Hope Scholarship Program was established in West Virginia in 2021 as an expanded school voucher-style program which diverts taxpayer funds from the public school system to families who can use them for private school or homeschool-related costs. Research shows that these programs primarily benefit families whose children were never enrolled in public schools. After…
Overview According to the state constitution, West Virginians are guaranteed “a thorough and efficient system of free schools” provided by the Legislature. However, the ability of our state to fulfill this guarantee for the nearly 90 percent of school-aged children in West Virginia who attend public schools is currently threatened by a variety of challenges.…
Charleston Gazette - West Virginia’s Legislature is moving forward with a costly and ineffective bill targeted at only the poorest West Virginians. ReadThe bill, SB 348, would create a three-county pilot program to begin drug-testing recipients of cash assistance. The costs of the drug screening would be deducted from the TANF recipients’ monthly check and…
West Virginia's legislature is moving forward with a costly and ineffective bill targeted at only the poorest West Virginians. The bill, SB 348, would create a three-county pilot program to begin drug testing recipients of cash assistance (a.k.a. WV Works/ TANF). The costs of the drug screening would be deducted from the TANF recipients' monthly check…
Registration Open for Race Matters Summit in Lewisburg Registration is open for the Summit on Race Matters: Continuing Conversations, taking place in the Alumni Center of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine on November 10 and 11, 2015. The conference will offer a unique opportunity for people from throughout West Virginia to continue the…
Open enrollment for 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage begins today, November 1. The Marketplace has been a critical feature of our health care system since its introduction in 2014. It provides quality health coverage for families who are not eligible for employer-sponsored coverage, Medicare, or Medicaid. The ongoing public health emergency triggered by…
After hearing from the coal industry about their desire for cut in the severance tax, SB 705 was quickly introduced and sped through the Senate Finance Committee on Monday, and is already on 2nd reading in the Senate today. In its current form, the bill cuts the severance tax on coal from 5% to 4%…
West Virginia News - West Virginia finds itself near the bottom of education rankings in the latest Kids Count Data Book, placing 48th in the United States. Read the full article. The annual report, which assesses categories such as education, health, family and community and economic well-being, highlights challenges facing young children across the country.…
Mountain State Spotlight - On Feb. 9, 20-year-old Desarae Godsey died during a stint at the Southern Regional Jail, adding another name to the growing list of people who have died at West Virginia’s deadliest jail. Read the full article. An hour west on I-64 and a day earlier, delegates on the House Committee on Jails and…