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The state Senate is moving forward this week with a half-billion-dollar Helene recovery bill, making minor revisions to the House's funding proposal.

The $533 million total is slightly higher than the amount that passed the House last week — $500 million — but it's less than the billion dollars requested by Gov. Josh Stein. A Senate floor vote on the bill is expected on Wednesday.

Both the House and Senate want to fund efforts to rebuild housing as well as private roads and budgets. Both bills also include money to clean up debris and to help farmers with crop losses.

Unlike the House, the Senate wants to fund summer school programs in districts where classes were cancelled for weeks after the storm. Republican Sen. Ralph Hise is from hard-hit Mitchell County.

"I believe my sons have been to school 29 days since the storm has hit, over five months," Hise said. "We're just trying to make sure that we can get kids caught up over the summer and provide that opportunity."

The summer schooling program would get $4.5 million, less than the amount Stein requested for a 30-day summer learning program. School districts participating under the Senate proposal would need to offer at least 72 hours of instruction to students in grades 4-8.

The Senate bill does not include a House provision that would forgive previously approved loans to local governments, effectively turning them into grants. Hise said that provision could jeopardize access to federal funding.

The Senate bill also includes $112.7 million to complete a troubled hurricane housing repair program in eastern North Carolina. That money is needed to finish homes damaged during storms more than six years ago; state officials say rising costs have caused the program to run out of money and pause projects.

A House committee also approved that funding Tuesday through . House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, R-Columbus and sponsor of that bill, said it includes auditing and accountability measures to ensure the money is spent properly.

"We have put a lot of accountability in here, because the previous administration — well, honestly, we couldn't trust them," Jones said of former Gov. Roy Cooper's team overseeing the program. "Money's missing, and we're not going through that again."

Here's where the Helene funding in the Senate bill would go:

• $140 million for housing reconstruction, with a goal of setting up a program in the N.C. Department of Commerce that could be reimbursed by federal money later.
• $192.5 million for crop loss programs and agricultural debris removal, more than the House bill
• $100 million to repair and rebuild private roads and bridges — something that’s become a major public safety concern as emergency responders can’t quickly reach homes that have been cut off by washed-out roads and bridges.
• $55 million for small business infrastructure grants, which would repair things like sidewalks and parking spaces in business districts
• $20 million for debris removal to state agencies and local governments
• $10 million for fire department grants
• $3 million for tourism marketing
• $4.5 million for a school learning loss program

Both House and Senate leaders say the bill won't be the last Helene recovery effort in the legislature this year. And on Tuesday, Hise called for more federal funding to help western North Carolina.

"We need congressional help," he said. "We've got challenges, particularly on the needs of private businesses who were devastated by this loss that we have limitations in being able to address. On private roads and bridges, I promise you, we're just scratching the surface."