Legislative Update from Rep. Iler – October 15, 2024
Last week the North Carolina General Assembly met to pass an emergency bill for disaster relief for Hurricane Helene impacted counties in Western N.C. It also included provisions for Brunswick and New Hanover Counties for damage from the unnamed storm in mid-September.
When we adjourned in September, we intended to return October 9th, if necessary, for further budget action or veto overrides. After Hurricane Helene hit Western N.C. on September 27th with unexpected rain and wind, our leadership immediately re-purposed the date for relief from our “Rainy Day Funds”.
As soon as the skies cleared, the House Speaker, the Senate President Pro Tem, as well as the Governor, surveyed the damage both in the air and on the ground. Many of our colleagues in the west and across the state pitched in to help with rescue efforts and donations, as did power crews and law officers.
We convened last Wednesday and passed House Bill 149 – Disaster Recovery Act of 2024. This was negotiated with all concerned parties in the Legislative and Executive branches. It passed unanimously in the House 113 – 0 and in the Senate 48 – 0 and was signed into law on Thursday by the Governor.
It creates the Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund and the Potential Tropical Cyclone #8 (PTC8) Disaster Recovery Fund. It also extends the normal 30-day state of emergency until March 1, 2025.
Brunswick and New Hanover Counties are named as impacted by PTC8, and the bill establishes a framework for funding for the two counties as soon as the damage assessments are complete. The Hurricane Helene fund has $273 million in funding in several areas. The Dept. of Public Safety – Div. of Emergency Mgmt. will get $250 million for all their additional expense during the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. The Dept. of Public Instruction will get $16 million for lost compensation for school employees in food service and other service jobs as well as other immediate costs incurred. The Office of State Budget & Mgmt. (OSBM), will get $2 million which will be spent as grants for technical assistance with recovery funds. The State Board of Elections will get $5 million to make and execute emergency plans for voting in the 24 impacted counties.
Many other provisions in House Bill 149 affect school instructional hours, election procedures, childcare, court procedures, and recalling retired state and local employees, among others. I encourage anyone looking for further details to read the bill by going to www.ncleg.gov and entering House Bill 149 or H149 in the search box at the top of the page.
This is just a start. We plan to return to Raleigh October 24th for further action for these counties, as well as Brunswick and New Hanover. We have been told our “Rainy Day Funds” are too large. That may turn out to be incorrect in the light of these recent unforeseen events.