Cardinal Institute

Right to Work Upheld by WV Supreme Court!

After several legal challenges and years of court proceedings, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has upheld that the “Right-to-Work” legislation, known as the Workplace Freedom Act, passed in 2016 as constitutional. When passed in 2016, West Virginia became the 26th state to pass such legislation. The Cardinal Institute has been working on the right-to-work issue since the organization’s inception in 2015.
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We're Hiring!

Cardinal Institute for WV Policy is looking to hire a Community Engagement Manager to help us with our outreach efforts across West Virginia. If you like to win friends and influence people, believe in free-market principles, and love the Mountain State, this may be just the job for you!
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Barriers to Work in the Mountain State

Though scrutiny of occupational licensing has increased nationwide over the last few years, it remains woefully understudied in West Virginia. This study is an effort to shine a light on the occupational licensing regime that affects many West Virginians in their pursuit of gainful employment compared to West Virginia’s two most populous neighboring states – Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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Cardinal Institute Featured on Special Report w/ Brett Baier

Executive Director, Garrett Ballengee, was interviewed about education choice in West Virginia as part of a segment on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier.
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Garrett Ballengee & Dale Lee Debate Charter Schools in WV Executive Magazine

Garrett Ballengee, Executive Director of the Cardinal Institute for WV Policy, is featured in the current issue of WV Executive Magazine debating charter schools with Dale Lee, President of WVEA.
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About the Institute

Founded in 2014, the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy is a 501c(3) non-profit dedicated to the research, development, and communication of effective, conservative public policies in West Virginia. The Cardinal Institute is headquartered in Charleston and is positioned to be a leading voice of free market and conservative policy research in the capital and throughout the state.

One of the greatest things about the American system of government and our 50 states is that each state is its own incubator for ideas. We have so many different examples of what works and what doesn’t. Those examples provide us real life results that we can use to determine what will have the greatest chance of success here in West Virginia.

Through effective research and communications, we provide the necessary data and analysis to lay the groundwork as we enter a new chapter in our state’s history.