After weeks of deliberations at the state legislature, another round of Helene recovery funding was signed into law Wednesday night by Gov. Josh Stein.
The $524 million bill would start the process of rebuilding homes, cleaning up debris and paying farmers for their crop losses. It would also help rebuild private roads and bridges and fund summer learning programs in western North Carolina schools.
Stein held a signing ceremony with lawmakers after the House and Senate resolved their disagreements about the funding package this week, with the final unanimous Senate vote Wednesday afternoon.
I am proud that the first bill I am signing sends more than $500 million to western North Carolina for Hurricane Helene relief.
—
Rep. Dudley Greene, R-Avery, worked with senators on the final bill.
"They listened to our input and made some changes as to some things they had added, so that we ended up with a very good compromise bill on this that we can send on," Greene said. "It is providing what is now our fourth round of relief."
It's the first major Helene recovery bill since October, and it's been a top priority for lawmakers since they convened for the year in late January.
The final version looks much like the Senate's proposal, with a few tweaks requested by House legislators. The final bill includes additional funding to finish rebuilding homes in eastern North Carolina damaged in hurricanes Matthew and Florence 鈥� closing out a sluggish, scandal-plagued program. The House had sought to put that funding in a separate bill labeled with an acronym to blame former Gov. Roy Cooper for the failures.
The bill also includes $9 million for a summer school program to combat learning loss in 13 counties where schools were closed for weeks after the storm, something that wasn't included in the original House proposal. The program would only serve students in grades 4-8.
The total amount in the bill is about half of what Gov. Stein requested. He told reporters Wednesday that he'll soon be announcing a new Helene funding request. Grants to help small businesses recover was part of the governor's request, but the final bill only includes grants to help local governments fix public infrastructure around businesses.
"I want to thank the legislature for this bill, because it will enable us to get started on many important aspects of disaster recovery," Stein said during a press conference on his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. "But we have to be honest that the amount is inadequate, and this is just the start."
Here's where the Helene funding in the final compromise bill would go:
- $120 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 (down from $140 million in a previous version of the bill)
- $200 million for crop loss programs and agricultural debris removal
- $100 million to repair and rebuild private roads and bridges 鈥� something that鈥檚 become a major public safety concern as emergency responders can鈥檛 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
- $10 million for grants to nonprofits doing disaster relief work
- $4 million for tourism marketing
- $9 million for a school learning loss program, a larger amount than in previous bills.
- $217 million to complete home rebuilding in eastern North Carolina and close the troubled "Rebuild NC" program
