CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia lawmakers are considering getting rid of the state income tax, even while other states seem to be moving in the opposite direction.

The governor and some legislative leaders say they want to replace the income tax with consumption taxes, such as sales taxes. But in Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback has just barely managed to defeat a veto override - defending the income-tax phaseout he signed in 2012.

Heidi Holliday, executive director of the Kansas Center for Economic Growth, said income-tax opponents both in West Virginia and Kansas have argued that ending the tax would lead to faster growth. But Holliday said that has proven to be a false hope.

"There's a broad consensus that the 2012 tax plan is not working,” she said. "While we didn't quite have enough votes to override the governor's veto, we did have a bipartisan majority of legislators who voted to end this tax experiment."

Faced with a big budget shortfall, Alaska lawmakers are also debating whether to impose that state's first income tax.

West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael argued that states without income taxes are growing faster on a per capita basis. But critics say that's not true - except in Texas, which is in the midst of an oil boom.

In Kansas, Brownback said the income tax cuts and sharp reductions in business taxes would be a shot of adrenaline to the heart of the Sunflower State's economy.

Holliday said the actual results have been starkly different.

"That was supposed to be a major job creator in the state and a major economic driver. And instead Kansas ranked 45th in the nation last year in job growth,” she said. "It had pretty much the exact opposite impact."

Brownback has argued that the tax cuts would more than pay for themselves through additional economic growth. But Kansas has a $900 million budget shortfall this year and next, and Holliday said projections are that the state will soon have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

More information on the effects of income tax cuts in Kansas is available here.


get more stories like this via email

As new federal policies and proposed funding cuts spark confusion and chaos, Wisconsinites are looking to voice their concerns to their elected officials, and some are being met with resistance.

In Congress, $2 trillion in spending cuts for programs that serve low-income families, seniors, kids and people with disabilities are being proposed. Every Republican lawmaker from Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the budget resolution. Though it is not final, more than a million Wisconsinites could be affected.

Meghan Roh, program director for the advocacy group Opportunity Wisconsin, said people are having a tough time trying to share their views when members of Congress will not schedule meetings.

"The campaign arm of the House Republicans are encouraging members to not hold these meetings, which I think tells you just how much energy there is around these issues," Roh observed.

Last week, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., abruptly canceled a scheduled event because too many constituents were planning to join.

Roh said Opportunity Wisconsin has launched a website where people can petition their members of Congress to hold town hall meetings.

The move to shave $880 billion from health and energy programs is a part of President Donald Trump's governmentwide agenda to curb what he calls waste and abuse, and deliver on promised tax cuts.

Nearly 300,000 Wisconsinites are covered by Medicaid and CHIP, and about 71,000 receive SNAP benefits in the districts of Orden and Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis.

Roh emphasized people are anxious to have a say.

"Those are real numbers about real Wisconsin families that rely on these programs in order to make ends meet," Roh noted. "If House Republicans and those in the Senate go along with this plan, that can mean some very devastating impacts for Wisconsin workers and families."

It could be a monthslong process to implement the budget resolution. The Senate passed its own budget last week, which is much different than in the House. The two chambers will negotiate a final version, which would then go to the White House for approval.

Faith leaders across Alabama are raising concerns about what they see as an overreach of executive power, urging the state's congressional delegation to assert its constitutional role as a check on the White House.

In a letter this week, they argue that Congress isn't doing enough to hold the Trump administration accountable for decisions they believe could weaken ethical governance, reduce public services and expose private citizens' data.

Daniel Schwartz, executive director of Faith in Action Alabama, said faith communities have long played a role in holding those in power accountable.

"We are urging the Congress - Republicans and Democrats - to honor that constitutional reality," he said, "which really requires them to be a check and balance to the executive branch."

Schwartz said the letter, signed by more than 200 leaders of faith communities, was sent to the Alabama delegation. He said it voices their concerns about the Trump administration making major changes without congressional approval - and stresses the importance of ensuring the executive branch operates legally and ethically.

Schwartz said one of their biggest concerns is the role of Elon Musk, overseeing government efficiency efforts - that giving Musk's team access to sensitive data without congressional oversight could pose privacy and security risks. There also are concerns about the mass layoffs at federal agencies, which Schwartz said could impact environmental protections and disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.

"We are very concerned that Americans' privacy is being violated," he explained. "We are concerned that entire departments may be eliminated. What we're hearing in terms of the EPA right now, over 50% of their employees may be laid off, and that puts us at great risk."

Schwartz said the group is also concerned about policies affecting undocumented people, as well as deep cuts proposed for Medicaid, which serves more than one in four Alabama residents.

The U.S. House is preparing to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a bill voting rights groups said would block millions from registering to vote.

The legislation requires proof of citizenship, such as a passport, military papers or an original birth certificate, documents many Georgians do not have on hand.

Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of the advocacy group Fair Fight Action, called it the "Voter Cancel Act," arguing it would strip voting rights from young people, women and marginalized communities.

"We shouldn't be passing bills in Congress to take away 21 million Americans' rights," Groh-Wargo contended. "In Georgia, here, not only is it about 80,000 folks we estimate don't have that documentation."

Supporters of the bill claim it would strengthen election security by ensuring only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. But Groh-Wargo pointed out there is no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting and warns the measure could lead to more voter roll purges, an issue which has already affected many Georgians.

She said Fair Fight Action is working to educate voters on the bill's potential impact and urging them to engage with their representatives. Groh-Wargo also noted the bill could have major consequences for online registration.

"Every year in Georgia, many Georgians get registered to vote through automatic voter registration," Groh-Wargo emphasized. "That is when you go get your license or update your license, you're automatically reregistered to vote."

Sarah Harris, director of media engagement for the nonprofit Stand Up America, said the bill would be especially burdensome for rural voters and married women, many of whom have birth certificates which do not match their current legal names. She warned similar laws in other states have already prevented people from voting.

"A lot of people do not have readily available their birth certificates or their passport," Harris stressed. "And when this was tried in other states, like Kansas, let's say, they had a similar law, 31,000 eligible American citizens in the state were actually blocked from registering to vote."

Harris called the bill a "de facto poll tax," noting getting a passport costs $130. She added Stand Up America has mobilized its members to send more than 60,000 emails urging lawmakers to reject the measure before the upcoming vote.


get more stories like this via email