On Jan. 20, 2011 more than 50 young professionals from across the Mountain State gathered at the State Capitol Complex for a day of leadership training, legislative education and networking. In its second year, Generation West Virginia Day at the Legislature is designed to showcase West Virginia’s young talent and engage Generation West Virginia members in policymaking.
Attendees also had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with their legislators to explain what key issues are important to them this legislative session. The following is the 2011 legislative agenda for Generation West Virginia.
Click here for a PDF version.
CREATIVE COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT ACT
Generation West Virginia hopes to see successful passages of the Creative Communities Development Pilot Program in the 2011 Session. This legislation, which was created and supported by Vision Shared, would allow cities and counties to receive state funding in the form of matching grants, to:
- provide greater technological access among citizens, businesses, nonprofit entities, and governmental entities.
- develop community centers, along with arts, cultural and recreational facilities.
- make aesthetic improvements to existing infrastructure.
- develop programs that foster inclusiveness, bridging ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural divides.
Generation West Virginia supports this piece of legislation because we believe there is a need for strategic funding for creative communities. It will make a stronger West Virginia by creating jobs, attracting new professions and developing additional sources of capital – all which help advance our mission of making the Mountain State a destination for young talent to live, work and be actively involved. So often in the past we’ve seen young talent leave the state to find employment opportunities. We believe the Creative Communities Development Pilot Program will help us create communities that are attractive to the best and brightest, those who want to contribute to our state’s present and future success with energy, ideas, collaboration and, most importantly, action.
BRAINS FOR BUSINESS
Also in the 2011 Session, Generation West Virginia would like to see support for young talent’s intellectual capital and capacity for innovation through the Brains for Business legislation. This piece of legislation would exempt recent college graduates that reside in West Virginia from state taxes on their first $25,000 of income, for a period of two years. The proposal also would refund up to $500 of interest paid on their student loans.
Generation West Virginia supports this bill, presented through the hard work of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce and the Committee for Change in Charleston, because it promotes higher education and works to attract and retain the state’s best and brightest. This translates into a pay raise for educated young people and will give them a boost to get started in their careers and rooted in their West Virginia communities.
Brains for Business will help Generation West Virginia work toward its goal of advancing, attracting and retaining young talent. It also will help build the next generation of leaders who will help our communities and businesses grow, innovate and stay competitive in a changing world.
GRANTS FOR GRADS PROGRAM
Working with other young talent coalitions similar to Generation West Virginia, we’ve identified a program that helps recent graduates and the state’s economy by retaining young talent within the state. The Grants for Grads program makes the financial path to owning a home a little easier for those who recently earned their degree.
Saving for a down payment and closing costs are often daunting to those who recently entered the workforce. Grants for Grads assists young talent with 2.5 percent of a home’s purchase price if they meet the eligibility requirements. The grant is provided in the form of a loan that is forgiven after five years if the recipient continues to reside in the state.
Typical qualifications include:
- Being a state resident when graduating from high school and receive an associates, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, professional degree, or other postgraduate degree within the last 24 months
- Meet specific income and purchase price guidelines for the county in which you intend to buy
States such as Ohio and Louisiana have enacted this legislation to entice recent college graduates to stay in the state after completion of their degree. We believe that homeownership reflects a commitment to remain in the Mountain State. By promoting the creation and passage of this legislation, West Virginia can better position itself to meet the needs of future graduates and get them rooted in our communities as they make plans to build their personal and professional lives in West Virginia after college.
GENERATION WEST VIRGINIA APPOINTMENT TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Since 2008, Generation West Virginia has worked with the state’s executive branch through the Governor’s Council of Young Talent– which is a group comprised of a representative from each of the Generation West Virginia’s affiliated regional young talent organizations. Working with Former Gov. Joe Manchin and now Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, the group has shared ideas and explored opportunities for collaboration.
Through this partnership, several members have become more actively involved in state government through appointments to state boards and commissions. It is our belief that for young leaders to become invested in preparing for our state’s future and contributing to its present that these young leaders need a “seat at the table” on state boards, committees, and commissions to contribute to the planning and decision making. The participation of young leaders assists our established leaders and the state in business and labor recruitment and growth, community growth, and the attraction, retention, and advancement of young talent. As a result, there is a growing voice for young talent in state government.
Generation West Virginia members serving on boards and commissions include:
- Parween Mascari, Generation Morgantown: West Virginia Economic Development Authority
- Doug Bicksler, Generation Greenbrier Valley: West Virginia Lottery Commission
- Monte L. Williams, Generation Morgantown: West Virginia Ethics Commission
- Carrie Lacey, Generation Morgantown: 21st Century Job Cabinet
In the upcoming year, Generation West Virginia members will continue to submit their credentials to be considered for appointments to the many boards and commissions that serve the state and plan for its future.
At Generation West Virginia Day at the Legislature, members of Generation West Virginia’s 12 regional groups get a unique opportunity to get an up-close view on how policies are made and tell decision makers about some of the innovative ways their respective organizations are working to cultivate and engage young talent.
Since its inception, Generation West Virginia has strived to build relationships with the state’s executive and legislative branches:
• Since 2008, Generation West Virginia’s Governor’s Council of Young Professionals has met with the governor quarterly to share ideas and explore opportunities for collaborations.
• Simultaneously, Generation West Virginia members have become more actively involved in representing interests of young talent by being nominated for state boards and commissions.
• Last Spring, then-Governor Joe Manchin II convened the first-ever Governor’s Summit on Young Talent attracting young people across the state and stakeholders from a variety of industries to identify areas of need and opportunities to attract and retain young talent.
• In November 2010, then-Governor Joe Manchin III issued an executive order officially establishing the Governor’s Council on Young Talent, thereby recognizing Generation West Virginia and the work it has done to retain, recruit and advance young talent.
Generation West Virginia is comprised with young talent organizations statewide including Generation Beckley, Generation Charleston; Generation Morgantown; Young Professionals of the Eastern Panhandle; Young Emerging Leaders of the Mid-Ohio Valley; OVConnect, based in Wheeling; Huntington Young Professionals; Pendleton County YPC; Generation GAP, based in Mercer County; Generation Greenbrier Valley; North Central Young Leaders; and Generation Putnam.
Vision Shared Inc., a statewide community and economic development nonprofit which is a strategic partner with Generation West Virginia, is helping the group with its arrangements for the day at the Legislature.