It took a special session but lawmakers successfully balanced this year’s budget as the clock was running out. A mixture of Rainy Day funds, budget cuts, and an increase in the tobacco tax filled the gap. They did not, however, provide a long-term solution and West Virginia will face a similar situation next year.
How did we get here? What are the solutions? WVCBP staff is hitting the road to talk about this issue that is important to us all.
If you are interested in hosting a presentation, please email us. Perhaps you are a member of a civic organization, a nonprofit group or a club. We will come to your meeting a give a budget talk tailored to your agenda.
Want a preview? Here’s Ted Boettner’s presentation he made at West Virginia University this week.
Here’s more in the Morgantown Dominion Post and on WBOY-TV.
Contact us for more information. Visit our Events page for future presentations.
This week Delegate Matthew Rohrbach (R-Cabell) explained via an op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail why it’s so important that West Virginia lawmakers pass a bill to bring a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to West Virginia.
Here’s an excerpt:
“As a physician, evidence always guides the decisions I make with respect to my patients’ care. I keep the same principles in mind as a state legislator, and evidence shows that a West Virginia EITC is a win-win for the state.
“We already know the federal EITC provides a tax credit to working families, helping them afford basic necessities that make it more likely their kids will thrive and that they can afford things that make it possible to hold down a job, like reliable transportation. A West Virginia EITC would provide an additional lift for those same families.”
Read the entire op-ed here.
Find out how much a state EITC would boost your local economy here.
We are happy to welcome Luke Yingling as our fall intern! Luke is a Senior political science and history student at the University of Charleston. He currently assists Huntington’s Office of Drug Control Policy with policy advocacy campaigns. He has held a number of internships in the past with non-profit organizations, working primarily on community needs research.
Luke’s project while he is with us will be to publish his research on the state’s drug court system. 
They Did It, We Can Too: Lessons from other public water fightsThursday, September 22nd 7:00-8:30pm University of Charleston Appalachian Room (in the Geary Student Union) RSVP: www.ourwaterwv.org/events
The movement for a public water system in the Kanawha Valley is growing due to frustration with WV American Water’s high rates, frequent main breaks and poor service. Save the date for a public forum on what it could look like to create a public water system for the Kanawha Valley.
In 2013, Florida residents took public control of a failing private water system owned by Aqua Florida. Join us to learn more about how this happened and what citizens can do to create a public water system that is transparent, accountable and fair. For more information, email Cathy Kunkel.
