By CLC Staff

Yesterday afternoon, the General Assembly passed its second round of Helene disaster relief, totaling $604 million. State lawmakers previously allocated $273 million to recovery efforts in the western part of the state on October 10. Each bill passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

The Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 (Senate Bill 743) includes:

• An additional $75 million for the state and local match for federal disaster assistance programs.
• $100 million to the Local Government Commission to assist with local government cashflow needs.
• $100 million to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for water and sewer bridge loans.
• $50 million to state agencies and local governments for unmet needs not covered by insurance or available federal aid.
• $22 million to the DEQ for bridge loans for infrastructure repair and the testing of underground storage tanks.
• $50 million to Golden LEAF for small business loans.
• $10 million for the state and local match for Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 (PTC-8) and Tropical Storm Debby.
• $50 million for uninsured and non-FEMA reimbursable expenses for school building repair and renovation.
• $5 million to replace and repair K-12 student and teacher technology and devices.
• $10 million to provide weatherization services to homeowners impacted by Hurricane Helene.
• $5 million to Emergency Management to adjust floodplain mapping in Western North Carolina.
• $9 million for utility assistance to individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene.
• $10 million to Smart Start to help childcare providers reopen their facilities.
• $3 million to support children in foster care and children in child protective services.
• $5 million to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina to advertise and encourage tourists to return to Western North Carolina municipalities that are ready for visitors.
• Funding for emergency scholarship grants for students at impacted community colleges ($10.5 million), UNC System schools ($5 million), and private colleges ($1 million). Students at eligible community colleges, UNC System schools, and private colleges will be able to receive a scholarship grant of up to $2,500.
• $5.5 million for UNC-Asheville to cover tuition for the spring 2025 semester.
• $5 million to cover spring 2025 tuition for students at A-B Tech, Blue Ridge Community College, Haywood Community College, Mayland Community College, McDowell Community College, and Western Piedmont Community College.
• $500,000 for anticipated additional Line of Duty Death claims.

Policies

• Allows the State Superintendent to approve additional school calendar flexibility in the most impacted school districts (up to 20 additional waived days).
• Waives the charter school lottery for students who temporarily attend a different school so they can reenroll in their original charter school.
• Allows the DEQ to authorize emergency water and sewer loans for Helene damage without standard Local Government Commission approval.
• Allows the DEQ to waive typical 2% administrative fees for water and sewer emergency loans during a disaster.
• Exempts the local match requirement temporarily for Job Development Investment Grants in impacted areas.
• Requires the DMV to extend emissions inspection licenses in the disaster area.
• Authorizes local governments to contract with qualified third-party engineers and architects to assist with inspections and allows permit applicants to contract directly with third-party inspectors.

“As North Carolina continues to recover from the devastation caused by Helene, the North Carolina House of Representatives remains committed to ensuring the people of Western North Carolina have what they need to rebuild and recover,” said House Speaker Tim Moore. “We stand with our neighbors and will see this recovery through to the end.”

Both disaster relief bills are funded by the state’s Savings Reserve, known as the Rainy Day Fund.

The General Assembly also passed Senate Bill 132 which requires 13 county boards of elections to open at least one early voting site for every 30,000 registered voters. This will only apply to the counties identified by the State Board of Elections in its Oct. 7 resolution. The requirement is similar to a 2020 memo issued by the executive director of the State Board that required counties to open up early voting sites based on the county’s population of registered voters. The bill passed in the House 106 to 2. 

The legislature returns on November 19.

Photo above: Chris Shuford looks at one of his buses that he kept in his auto shop in Micaville, N.C. on Oct. 2, 2024, that washed away along the nearby Little Crabtree Creek after remnants of Hurricane Helene brought record rainfall and catastrophic flooding to the region. (Courtesy of Josh Morgan at USA Today).