Blog

April 4, 2014 by WVCBP
Hopping Over The Affordable Care Act

While I appreciated reading a column this week by Hoppy Kercheval about the ACA, I was disappointed to see him recycle the same arguments that have been disproved for months now. Hoppy's biggest concern is how we're going to pay for Medicaid expansion in the future. He points out that the actuarial estimates showed that…

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March 28, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
2014’s Bills Passed with a Fiscal Impact

The Legislature passed 201 bills during the 2014 Legislative Session. 51 of those bills came with fiscal notes attached, the price tags attached to legislation that inform legislators and the public of the estimated cost to the state in either expenditure increases or revenue losses. Fiscal notes are usually attached to a bill when taxes or fees are…

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March 26, 2014 by WVCBP
And The Healthiest County is…Pleasants?

The 2014 County Health Rankings were released this week and in a bit of a surprise, little Pleasants County took top honors, while for the 5th year in a row, McDowell County earned the dubious distinction of the least healthy county in the state. These rankings, compiled annually by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and…

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March 25, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
Final FY 2015 Budget Comparison Available

The FY 2015 budget process took some twists and turns this year, with some big changes between the governor's proposal, the house and senate versions and their final compromise, and the governor's vetoes. Now you can compare all three versions of the budget in one place. This excel file lists each of the $12 billion in…

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March 25, 2014 by Ted Boettner
Governor Should Ignore Bogus “Flaws” in Minimum Wage Bill

On Sunday the Martinsburg Journal reported that attorney Brian Peterson with the law firm of Bowles Rice sent a memo to its clients warning of technical flaws and "unintended consequences" contained in HB 4283, which raises the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75 an hour by 2016. Fortunately, many of the so-called "flaws" in…

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March 21, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
The Legislature Gave, and the Governor Hath Taken Away

Governor Tomblin exercised his line item veto power today, trimming over $64 million from the budget sent to him by the legislature earlier this week. While the legislature had restored many of the cuts to children and family support programs that were in the FY 2015 budget proposal, the governor vetoed that funding, keeping the…

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March 18, 2014 by Sean O'Leary
WV Legislature Gives 127,000 Working West Virginians a Raise

On the last night of the 2014 Legislative Session, West Virginia's legislature passed HB 4283, raising the state's minimum wage. The bill now goes to Governor Tomblin for his signature, making it law. While we wait for the governor's signature, let's take a look at what passage of the bill means to West Virginia's low-wage…

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March 14, 2014 by WVCBP
Fate of Health-Related Bills in the 2014 Legislative Session

The 81st West Virginia Legislature wrapped up session last Saturday night with 30 health-related bills (by my count). These bills spanned the spectrum from the hot button issue of abortion that continues to generate media coverage to bills that passed multiple committees and both chambers unanimously with nary a peep of press. Here I will…

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March 11, 2014 by Ted Boettner
Giant Step for Future Fund, but More Work Ahead

Late Saturday night, the Legislature passed SB 461 that created the West Virginia Future Fund. While this is an important step forward, the bill included the adopted house changes that I focused on last week. The most significant changes included a new funding mechanism and several conditions that have to be met in order to…

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