It puts $700 million into a Helene reserve fund, only spending $500 of that for now. It also moves nearly $300 million from the DOT to relief efforts.
RALEIGH, N.C. โ After weeks of disagreement, North Carolina’s House and Senate have come to an agreement on the latest round of Hurricane Helene relief,
House Bill 1012, with the expected final approval from Gov. Josh Stein, will send half a billion dollars to western North Carolina, after unanimous approval from both chambers.
It puts $700 million into a Helene reserve fund, only spending $500 of that for now.
It also includes moving nearly $300 million from the state Department of Transportation towards relief efforts.
This comes on what is expected to be the last day of the legislative session, meaning budget talks have likely stalled for the summer.
Senate leaders initially wanted to include Helene recovery funding in the state budget, while the House wanted it to come in a separate bill. They say this allows money to reach those in need faster.ย
House Speaker Destin Hall laid out some of the big items on the bill:
- $70Mย to continue pulling down critical federal disaster recovery funding
- $75Mย towards construction and reimbursement of privately owned roads and bridges
- $65Mย towards repair and reconstruction of damaged schools
- $50Mย in additional no-interest loans for impacted units of local government
- $70Mย in funding for local government capital repairs
- $25Mย to upgrade and enhance regional airports to support disaster responses
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X andย Instagram.
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