State lawmakers voted unanimously Thursday to spend another $644 million on Helene recovery projects to help western North Carolina. But the dollar figure is a fraction of what Gov. Roy Cooper wants to spend.
The bill is the second storm recovery funding measure the legislature has passed, following a $273 million package signed into law earlier this month. It includes $50 million in bridge loans to help affected small businesses that are awaiting assistance from the federal government.
The bill also would fund about $30 million in scholarships and tuition grants for affected students at UNC Asheville, other universities and community colleges.
Other highlights include:
- $100 million for bridge loans for water and sewer infrastructure repairs to local governments
- $10 million to help reopen childcare centers
- $9 million to help residents pay utility bills
- $1 million to help people unable to pay their rent avoid evictions
- $5 million for Visit NC to market tourism destination in western North Carolina
- $100 million to help local governments with cash flow issues
- Calendar flexibility for affected school districts to miss an additional 20 days of class
House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, said the package falls short of what’s needed, and Democrats weren’t able to provide input.
“This is once again a missed opportunity for a bipartisan approach to lawmaking,” Reives said in a news release. “I hope that our next round of disaster relief funding is more robust and includes more than just a small handful of people drafting it.”
Gov. Roy Cooper had called on the legislature to allocate nearly $4 billion to address what his administration estimates is $53 billion in damages and recovery needs.
Cooper’s proposal, announced Wednesday, includes $650 million for business recovery grants, $650 million to rebuild damaged housing, $578 million to repair utilities and other damaged infrastructure and $422 million for agricultural losses.
Cooper argued Wednesday that North Carolina can’t afford to wait for federal recovery funding to arrive, and instead it should use much of the state’s multi-billion-dollar “rainy day fund” to start the process and seek federal reimbursements later.
“We know that leading recoveries are characterized by an ability to move capital quickly and flexibly, and so the governor's recommendations strive to put money into these communities as quickly and flexibly as possible,” state budget director Kristin Walker said. “We know that communities who receive that funding quickly and flexibly outperform their peers in GDP growth five years down the road.”
But Senate leader Phil Berger said the amount Cooper requested could leave state reserves empty ahead of future natural disasters.
"While this storm is much more severe than most, it is a fact that we regularly have tornadoes in the spring and we regularly have hurricanes in the in the summer and the fall, and so we don't want to go into next year where we are without resources to deal with the immediate needs there," he said.
Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, said the bill should have included grant money — not loans — for struggling small businesses, as well as a moratorium on evictions; Berger told reporters that the latter proposal might create legal challenges.
"Allowing evictions to proceed due to non-payment of rent because of this storm will have long term impacts on our economy," Mayfield said.
Another bill on Thursday’s legislative agenda would require additional early voting sites to open next week in several mountain counties. Some counties like McDowell had to close previously planned early voting sites due to storm damage. Both McDowell and Henderson counties only have one early voting location at the moment.
Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson, said the single site in her county is inadequate, and none of the other sites used in previous elections were affected by the storm. But some Democrats questioned why the legislation would expand early voting in just two counties after the process has already begun.
The early voting bill is a local measure that becomes law without going to the governor, but he's expected to take action on the Helene recovery bill in the coming days.
Lawmakers will be back in Raleigh after the November election, and Berger said another Helene recovery bill will likely be on the agenda then.