Last week, Governor Tomblin finally issued the call for the legislature to come back into a special session to balance the FY 2017 budget. The special session will begin today, May 16th, and the governor will once again submit a budget proposal for the legislature to consider.During the regular session, Governor Tomblin proposed $130 million in…
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Earlier today, Delegate Patrick Lane issued a press release calling for more budget cuts as the solution to West Virginia's budget gap. As part of his argument, Delegate Lane made the misleading claim that the state's general revenue fund has grown by $564 million in 5 years, which is a reflection of "unchecked" government spending.However,…
West Virginia's economy has not been faring well lately, with reports indicating the state has slipped back into a recession. Nationally, the economy has seen some relatively strong performances recently, but low energy prices and declining coal production have hurt mining states like West Virginia. Here a some indicators demonstrating the state's weakening economy.West Virginia's…
While some have blamed the state's budget crisis on the decline of coal severance taxes, declining natural gas severance taxes are also taking their toll. The decline in mineral extraction, along with a weak economy and major tax cuts phased in between 2006 and 2015, is the central driver of the state's weak revenue growth…
Lunch and LearnJoin the WVCBP and the WV Covenant House on Monday, April 11 for Lunch and Learn!Bring your lunch and join us from 11:30AM - 1:00PM in a discussion about a balanced budget approach that includes an investment in shared prosperity. Lunch and Learn will take place at the WV Covenant House office on…
On Tuesday, Governor Tomblin revised his estimates for the FY 2017 General Revenue Fund Budget. Since the legislature failed to pass the state budget during the regular session, the governor is expected to call a special session sometime this Spring to pass a budget for FY 2017. Altogether, the FY 2017 revised revenue estimates for the…
With the legislature adjourned sine die (or without assigning a day for further meeting for those needing all state business to be conducted in English,) now's a good time to look back at some of the bills made into law this past session. Here's a quick recap of some of the major bills passed by…
The Latest from the Golden Dome Several bills of interest are still under consideration as the 2016 West Virginia Legislative Session enters its final hours. Much talk this session has surrounded how to tackle the huge gap in the state budget. While the Senate has passed its budget bill, it is far different from the…
With Governor Tomblin's proclamation extending the legislative session for three days to work on the budget, it is highly unlikely the FY 2017 will be passed before the end of the regular session on Saturday. Both the House and the Senate have moved their versions of the budget bill, with the Senate passing its version yesterday,…
Why 10:00 AM Brunch is a Good ThingThis session, the State Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 298, which amends the state's current blue law by allowing restaurants, private clubs, and wineries to begin selling alcohol at 10:00 AM on Sundays, three hours before the current earliest time allowed, 1:00 PM. More commonly referred to as…