Mother's Day is a West Virginia Invention From time to time, we have the opportunity to celebrate the incredible contributions of West Virginians on this blog. Did you know that Mother's Day first began in West Virginia? The Mountain State was the first in America to formally recognize and celebrate mothers. The movement centered around…

What is the Next Step in Education Reform for West Virginia? With the advancements that West Virginia has made in alternative forms of education, it is imperative that our state find ways to support the traditional public school system. The release of West Virginia's NAEP scores in October showed a decline in the quality of…

CON Laws Are Hurting West Virginians' Health Regulation is killing West Virginia. We have the highest prevalence of heart attacks, lung cancer, and drug overdose deaths of any state across the U.S. We rank highest in the nation for poor physical health and mental health. Despite such grim statistics, West Virginia has  protected an archaic…

Crypto Roads, Take Me Home: Three Policies for a Cryptocurrency Friendly West Virginia The Future of Cryptocurrency and West Virginia Whether it is Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any of the other countless blockchain tokens available today, one thing is clear: cryptocurrency is here to stay. However, many states have not prepared for this reality. Thus they…

State Occupational Licensing Index Recently, our friends from the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation in partnership with the Archbridge Institute released their new State Occupational Licensing Index (SOLI). This publication builds on previously published indices by Cato Institute and the Institute for Justice by expanding the scope of inquiry from strictly licenses…

A Look at Opportunity in Cities in the Nation's Third Most Rural State When one thinks of West Virginia, many things are likely to come to mind: natural beauty, John Denver, coal, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, poverty, opioids, state pride, and so on down the line. What isn’t likely to make a top ten list…

How Education Bills Fared During Legislative Session The 86th Session of the West Virginia State Legislature adjourned Sine Die at 11:49 pm EST  on March 11, 2023. This session was historic for a variety of reasons, especially related to K-12 Education. In February, the Cardinal Institute published a blog post highlighting our Top Five Education…

West Virginia Employment Is Languishing Our unemployment rate of 4.9% is going down, but it’s still higher than our Appalachian neighbors. Our labor force participation rate is growing, but it’s still the lowest in the nation. While we’ve put in the hard work to achieve education reform and tax reform, there’s more we can do…

Keep Your Paycheck Every year, shortly after January 1st, you go into work. After a week or two, you receive that year’s first paycheck. Much to your dismay, the list of taxes begin to pile up: federal, state, payroll. Each eating away at the money you earned. Each eating away at the things you’d otherwise…

What is a certificate of need? Certificate of Need (CON) laws are regulatory impediments instituted in thirty-five states requiring many health care providers to receive authorization from the state's health regulatory board in order to open a new, or expand, an existing health facility. CON is unlike some health regulations which ensure facilities meet quality…