Big Wins In K-12 Public Policy, But What’s Next? There is little doubt that West Virginia’s public policy problems are legion. They have built up over the last several decades. First and foremost among said problems was a lack of options in the state’s calcified K-12 education system. With the recent passage of the Hope […]

On March 11th, President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion relief plan. Known as the American Rescue Plan, this Act intended to help the American economy recover from the year-long coronavirus pandemic. The most discussed parts of the program are the individual stimulus checks and expansion of the Child Tax Credit. The Act also includes […]

Wasteful Spending: A Trade Secret   In 2017, an investigation was launched into the West Virginia Supreme Court for overzealous spending. 2009 sparked a renovation initiative for the Court with a price tag of roughly $876,000. But, by 2017, the expenses ballooned to $3.7 billion. Most notable of the excessive expenditures were the $32,000 sectional […]

Education Costs & the Hope Scholarship   Amid all the talk about why lawmakers in West Virginia should or shouldn’t pass legislation that introduces Hope Scholarship education savings accounts to students and families across the Mountain State, one major point of contention always comes back to the almighty dollar – the costs of education in […]

Not yet a month out from Joe Biden’s first day in office, the newly inaugurated President has signed 25 executive orders and proposed plans for impactful change across the nation. Lumped into a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the President has suggested increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.   The Biden administration […]

One of the top concerns for everyone is equity in education. On paper we have done a good job, investing near average for the nation per capita despite having a historically low GDP. But beyond budgetary reports, how equitable is our education system? The Current System West Virginia’s model works well for the rich; they […]

For many, January marks the anxious start to tax season and reminds us how much the government takes from our paychecks every year. But what if there was a way to keep more money in your pocket?   After the November general election, Governor Justice announced that his top priority is to eliminate the state […]

Alex Brill is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies the impact of tax policy on the US economy as well as the fiscal, economic, and political consequences of tax, budget, health care, retirement security, and trade policies. He also works on health care reform, pharmaceutical spending and drug innovation, […]

State legislators are considering the elimination of the personal income tax in the upcoming Spring session. These discussions have sparked a conversation about taxation and why it is essential to a government’s functioning.   Opponents to abolishing the income tax claim that West Virginia would lose 43% of the state budget after the bill’s passage; […]

Some things in life simply require a second serving. Ice cream, Netflix episodes, and French fries all aren’t the same without just a little bit more. Unfortunately, our gluttonous state government has gone in for seconds- on an expensive and complex technology contract. As reported by Metro News, Governor Justice signed a contract that will […]