RALEIGH, N.C. (Tribune News Service) — State lawmakers released a bill detailing how they would spend an additional $500 million on recovery efforts in North Carolina following the devastation caused by Helene in late September.

This fourth hurricane relief bill would bring the state’s total Helene-related spending to more than $1.1 billion, with the three previous bills allocating about $900 million altogether.

In addition to providing funding for various efforts including home reconstruction, debris removal efforts and more, the bill also would extend regulatory and flexibility provisions.

It also would extend the statewide declaration of an emergency and create a private road and bridge replacement program within the state’s Emergency Management agency to distribute grants for repairs and replacements.

The bill was considered Wednesday in the House committee on Helene recovery and will be heard in committee again next week, potentially Tuesday, before moving to the House floor for a vote later in the week, according to Rep. John Bell, who is a chair of the Helene committee.

Members of the committee also have until Monday at 1 p.m. to send any amendment requests for the bill.

The release of this bill follows Gov. Josh Stein’s request earlier this week for $1 billion in Helene storm recovery money this spring. His proposal included $150 million for affected businesses and $113 million for rent, mortgage, and utility assistance; affordable housing; minor home repairs; disaster legal services; and housing stabilization and homelessness assistance, as previously reported by The News & Observer. The legislature’s proposal includes funding for some of Stein’s suggestions but not for many others.

Asked about the lower funding provided by the legislature in comparison to the governor’s request, Bell told reporters after the hearing, “We’ve already done multiple hurricane bills and (will) continue to do more after this.” But “we’re going to be very strategic in what we do, (and) how we do it,” he said.

On the lack of funding for small businesses, he said, “we’ve had conversations about that, and how we do that.” Bell added that they wanted to help small business owners, not large corporations like Walmart. He also said rental assistance “could very well be part of the amendment process.”

“What you see today is a shell, an outline of a bill. It’s up to members of this committee to start putting in amendments and how we move forward and what we accept,” he said.

The bill also states that recipients of state funds under the legislation should seek alternative funding sources, including the federal government, where possible.

Many lawmakers have expressed concerns about spending too much state money before more federal funding becomes available or before there is more clarity on federal reimbursements.

Dudley Greene, also chair of the Helene committee, said “there’s probably some of this that we’re taking a leap of faith on, that we hope to get reimbursed for,” such as for private roads and bridges.

Bell added “this is going to be a long road to recover, but we are moving as fast as we possibly can.”

Funding provisions in the legislature’s bill include:

— $150 million for home reconstruction and repairs.

— $150 million for projects to help farmers resume production and protect communities from additional flood damage. Eligible projects include stream debris removal, stream bank stabilization, stream restoration, cropland restoration, farm road repair, and reconstruction of best management practices, according to the bill.

— $100 million for private road and bridge repairs and replacements.

— $60 million for the repair of state facilities, including state parks and the two state correctional institutions in Western North Carolina that closed due to Helene.

— $20 million for debris removal and unmet needs.

— $10 million to provide grants to Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs).

— $10 million to small and volunteer fire departments to purchase equipment or make capital improvements for future emergency response.

Not included in the bill is funding for recovery efforts in Eastern North Carolina. The agency tasked with rebuilding there said last week that it needed $217 million to finish housing projects in Eastern North Carolina. Bell said “we have to fund (that) at some point in time as well.”

According to the Office of State Budget and Management, damages and needs in Western North Carolina are estimated at just under $60 billion. Meanwhile, the state estimates it will receive $15.7 billion in federal money.

Stein said Tuesday that the state is heading toward “an era of fiscal tightness,” due to recovery needs and concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the cost of building supplies, The N&O reported.

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