West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy Story Archives

Budgets, Taxes And Clean Energy Jobs On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, state lawmakers are mulling over countless tax proposals that would directly affect West Virginians and their wallets. On Friday’s episode of The Legislature Today, Randy Yohe spoke with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and Kelly Allen, the executive director at the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, to discuss budgets and taxes.

On this West Virginia Morning, state lawmakers are mulling over countless tax proposals that would directly affect West Virginians and their wallets. On Friday’s episode of The Legislature Today, Randy Yohe spoke with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and Kelly Allen, the executive director at the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, to discuss budgets and taxes.

Also, in this show, we have the latest story from The Allegheny Front – a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. We listen to their story about replacing coal and natural gas jobs with clean energy jobs.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas is our producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Report Critical of W.Va.’s Prison Food System

A report published by the West Virginia Center on Budget Policy said inmates receive highly processed, low nutrient foods that negatively impact their health and cost taxpayers more.

The report indicates inmates used to grow fresh produce outside and in greenhouses to cook healthy fresh meals under a state run prison food service program. However, as prison populations grew, the state looked to save money by signing a contract with Aramark food service.

Aramark is a national food service provider. The company received fines due to maggot infested food and food that had been tainted by rats. The food provider has also been cited for serving expired or unrefrigerated food products, the report said.

The authors of the report filed a Freedom of information act to find out how much the state pays Aramark, and to answer questions about conflict of interest. So far, they have not been able to receive any information.

In 2019 West Virginia lawmakers passed The Fresh Food Act that required 5 percent of the purchases made by Aramark to be fresh produce or meat from West Virginia producers. However, the Agriculture Commissioner complained in 2022 that the company has failed to comply with the law, and that the Department of Agriculture has no tools to enforce the law.

The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitations issued a statement that said the organization is committed to the safety, quality of life, and wellbeing of those in the care of the legal system in the state and continually work to provide nutritional meals and quality of health care to those placed in their care.

Predicting West Virginia’s Budget This West Virginia Morning

Sean O’Leary, senior policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said the state could find itself with a shortfall instead of a surplus in the coming years. He spoke with energy and environment reporter Curtis Tate about the volatility of the severance tax.

On this West Virginia Morning, higher coal and natural gas prices, alongside higher demand for both fossil fuels, generated a severance tax windfall that fattened the state’s budget surplus last year. But the prices for both fossil fuels have declined in recent months.

How the state determines its revenue estimates itself is also a subject of debate. West Virginia’s annual budget is based on estimates that come from the governor’s office, with the current surplus coming from taxes collected above those estimates. Government reporter Randy Yohe has more on how those estimated amounts garner differing points of view of how they should be determined.

Also, officials say they have “positive momentum” toward restructuring the Department of Health and Human Resources, an offer from West Virginia American Water to purchase the city of Milton’s water system was rejected by city lawmakers Tuesday, the latest national assessment of academic ability shows a continued decline in student achievement nationwide and seven first responders received the state’s first round of Medal of Valor awards during a ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Report: W.Va. Schools' Tuition Doubles Over 15 Years

The average cost of tuition at West Virginia’s public universities and colleges has doubled in the past 15 years, according to a new report.

The West Virginia Center on Budget Policy released a report Monday showing average tuition has increased by about $4,200 a year at the state’s four-year colleges and universities since 2002, media outlets said.

That’s a roughly 147 percent increase, which outpaced the rate of inflation during that same period.

According to the report, continued decreases in state funding to schools have caused tuition to rise rapidly, thus making college less affordable than it used to be.

“I think this is important to be aware of in a state like West Virginia, which has the lowest level of college-educated adults in its workforce, higher education is one of the areas we should be investing in, not cutting,” said Sean O’Leary, a senior policy analyst at the nonprofit police research organization.

Right now, state lawmakers are debating how much higher education should be cut in next year’s budget. Among the proposals from the Republican-majority leadership have been $150 million in cuts to higher education, the state’s public K-12 system and the Department of Health and Human Resources.

Had the cost of tuition kept pace with the rate of inflation, O’Leary said tuition would have increased only 33 percent from 2002 to 2016.

“To make college more affordable and accessible, the state will have to restore adequate funding to public higher education institutions in the state and explore other ways to reduce the costs of higher education,” the report said.

How Can West Virginia Prosper? A Ballengee/Boettner Battle Royale

West Virginia’s economy has a “chicken and egg” problem.

To grow more jobs here, we need better-educated, healthy employees.

But before we can afford to pay for better schools and health, we need more jobs and more businesses.

As you might imagine, liberals and conservatives have different ideas which should come first – lower taxes or higher education and health spending.

On this Front Porch podcast, hear a Battle Royale between two of West Virginia’s best policy wonks – Ted Boettner, executive director of the liberal-leaning West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Garrett Ballengee, executive director of the Cardinal Institute, a right-leaning West Virginia think tank.

Ballengee and Boettner debate about how West Virginia can become a more prosperous state.

Support for The Front Porch comes from the Charleston Gazette-Mail with its two editorial pages – one liberal, one conservative – kinda like the Front Porch! Find out how to subscribe: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/

The Front Porch is the weekly podcast where we tackle the toughest issues facing Appalachia…in the same way you talk with friends on your front porch.

Subscribe to “The Front Porch” podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

Researchers Cite Low Incomes in Resource-Rich W.Va.

The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy says incomes in the resource-rich state continue to lag behind the nation, faulting in part a “trickle-down” approach to state economic policy that puts more power and money in the hands of a wealthy few.

According to the center, West Virginia has historically been one of the poorest states, a trend continuing in 2015 with per capita personal income of $37,047 that was nearly $11,000 below the national average.

The research group cites recent economic weakness from the collapse in natural gas prices and declines in coal production, manufacturing, construction and the utilities sector.

It also cites both historical and ongoing outside ownership of much of West Virginia’s land and mineral resources.

The statewide poverty rate was almost 18 percent last year.