By Katherine Zehnder
Carolina Journal
On Wednesday, the General Assembly unanimously passed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 (HB 149), which addresses the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene and Potential Tropical Cyclone #8 (PTC8). The bill allocates $273 million for disaster relief efforts, creates disaster recovery funds, extends the State of Emergency, and establishes election modifications and public school flexibility.
“The General Assembly is fully activated in its efforts to provide relief to Western North Carolina,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “This package is just the first round, and more funding will be on the way as we categorize and evaluate the extent of the damage. In the coming months, we will do everything we can to rebuild the region and provide relief to those who so desperately need it.”
This bill establishes two new recovery funds: the Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund to support relief efforts in counties declared major disaster areas, including Nash County, and the PTC8 Disaster Recovery Fund for recovery in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties. It also extends the statewide emergency declaration through March 1, 2025.
The $273 million is allocated from the Savings Reserve to the Hurricane Helene Fund. This includes specific allocations to state agencies, local governments, and public safety efforts. Any federal funds for disaster relief will also be allocated through the Helene and PTC8 funds.
“I’m proud of today’s bipartisan vote on the ‘Disaster Recovery Act of 2024’ legislation to provide much-needed relief to the victims of recent hurricanes,” said House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. “This bill ensures immediate financial aid and resources to help families rebuild their homes, businesses, and communities. This legislation is merely a first step, and we intend to do even more for Western North Carolina in the near future.”
The General Assembly also passed the SJR 919, which amends the adjournment resolution and allows the NCGA to reconvene again later in the month.
Disaster Relief Funding
Of the $273 million, $250 million is allocated to the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management to provide the state match for federal disaster assistance programs for state agencies and local governments. This allocation includes establishing a revolving loan program to help local governments and state agencies manage cash flow while awaiting federal reimbursement.
The Department of Public Instruction has been allocated $16 million to supplement or replace the lost compensation for school nutrition employees affected by school closures due to Hurricane Helene. The Office of State Budget and Management (OSMB) has been allocated $2 million to provide grants to entities such as the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments. These grants prioritize counties with populations under 250,000 and are intended to offer technical assistance with local recovery efforts.
Election Modifications
Finally, $5 million is allocated to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) to address election-related issues resulting from the disaster. The legislation includes election modifications to ensure that those in impacted counties can still vote and feel assured about the security of their vote.
The bill essentially codifies and extends the resolution passed by the North Carolina State Board of Elections earlier this week. While the NCSBE resolution only applied to 13 counties, this bill extends the resolution to all 25 counties impacted by the storm.
The bill allows for additional flexibility in appointing election judges and poll workers, including appointing election workers from outside the county in question. These provisions apply only to the 25 affected counties and not to the state as a whole.
State employees are eligible to serve as election workers without needing to take leave from their jobs. It also allows for the election official training to be modified to accommodate the need to bring new recruits to impacted counties. County election boards can modify early voting plans by bipartisan majority vote. This includes changing sites, days, and hours of operation. Election boards are also able to make changes to election-day polling places, which includes combining and transferring precincts and relocating polling locations.
Additionally, it extends ballot return options for absentee ballots, enabling voters registered in the impacted counties to return their ballots to any county board of elections, early voting site, or voting place up until 7:30 pm on election day. It also allows for in-person absentee ballot requests up until 5 pm on Nov 4, the day before election day.
Furthermore, the bill allows poll observers from outside a county to serve in the affected counties. It requires the NCSBE to establish processes for transmitting out-of-county ballots to the appropriate county including documentation of the chain of custody of ballots transferred from one county to another. Finally, it also mandates education efforts, which include establishing a hotline for voters impacted by the disaster.
“These are all common-sense steps we can take to ensure that western North Carolinians in the affected counties can vote no matter where they are in the state of North Carolina,” said Berger during a press conference. “These are things that we have discussed with the State Board of Elections, and they were providing feedback to us up to and including last night on changes they suggested that we make…the bill includes those changes recommended by the State Board staff.”
The bill also allows for calendar flexibility and remote learning to schools in affected counties. In addition, it authorizes the governor to waive DMV fees in impacted counties through December 31st, 2024 and to waive environmental permitting requirements for road repairs due to storm damage.
“Western North Carolina is far from any sense of a full recovery, and the government response must be better from the top down,” said Sen. Timothy Moffitt, R-Henderson. “We know that, the people impacted know that, and it’s our job to keep our foot on the gas pedal to ensure no community is left behind. With the Helene Fund, we’re going to get critical funding out to the most vulnerable areas.”
The General Assembly is set to reconvene on October 24, and it is expected to pass a second round of disaster relief funding.
