Part two of Helene recovery funding signed into law

The latest legislation has a total of $700 million in relief funds

Sinkholes in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, including one in Ashevillie’s River Arts District on Oct. 10, are just a sampling of the road repairs needed following last fall’s storm and flooding. (Izzy Lavalette / For North State Journal)

RALEIGH — A second Helene recovery funding bill for 2025 has been signed by Gov. Josh Stein.

The agreed-upon conference committee report for House Bill 1012 includes $700 million in relief money, $500 million in appropriations, and $270 million in reallocations from the DOT budget for storm-related road repairs.

The additional money raises the overall relief total provided by the General Assembly to $2.1 billion and is the fifth relief package enacted by the legislature to date.

On June 26, the Senate passed the conference report, and the House followed suit by a unanimous vote of 106-0.

According to the House and Senate press releases, the main provisions in the bill include:

  • $75 million toward construction and reimbursement of privately owned roads and bridges
  • $70 million to continue pulling down critical federal disaster recovery funding
  • $70 million in funding for local government capital repairs
  • $64.3 million toward the repair and reconstruction of damaged schools
  • $51.5 million for the local government cash flow program
  • $50 million in additional no-interest loans for impacted units of local government
  • $25 million to upgrade and enhance regional airports to support disaster responses
  • $25 million to aid farmers with infrastructure losses
  • $18 million to invest in fire stations across WNC to prepare for a high-risk fire season
  • $18 million in additional funding to support our frontline volunteer organizations
  • $16 million in infrastructure investments to support redevelopment in Canton
  • $15 million to the SelectSite fund to support economic development
  • $12.25 million to repair damaged state park facilities and expedite reopening
  • $10 million to support impacted public and private colleges and universities in the region
  • $8 million to support apple growers in western N.C.
  • $5 million for tourism support efforts

The proposal does not appear to have any provisions for small business grants.

On June 24, the House failed to concur with Senate changes made to House Bill 1012, part two of the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 and a conference committee was appointed to hammer out the differences.

The House’s version allocated over $450 million, while the Senate’s June 23 substitute for the bill allocated $700 million, with $480 million of that total going toward “immediate needs.”

At the onset of floor discussion on June 24, Rep. Dudley Greene (R-Avery) noted the Senate had waited “until the shot clock was running out” on the session and had made significant changes which needed to be addressed in a conference committee.

Greene, whose county had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene, also said the House remains “committed” in moving the bill forward, which it did via the conference committee.

The prior relief proposals put forth by each chamber overlapped in several areas, such as $70 million for FEMA state match, $15 million for N.C. Forest Service wildfire preparedness, $20 million for flood mitigation grants and $8 million for school repairs.

Support for local government capital needs differed slightly, with $50 million in the House versus $40 million in the Senate, $30 million in the House versus $75 million in the Senate for private roads and bridges, and fire/EMS grants for the House at $18 million over the Senate’s $15 million.

The House had an emphasis on rural and infrastructure needs, including agricultural and general debris removal ($30 million), rural farm infrastructure repairs ($25 million), airport infrastructure for repair and expansion of emergency response ($2 million), and volunteer organization recovery support ($20M).

The Senate highlighted tourism ($5 million), dam repair/removal ($10 million), boosting the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund ($20 million), community college enrollment decline ($2.74 million), cashflow loans to local governments ($100 million) and repurposing department of transportation funds for infrastructure recovery ($560 million).

About A.P. Dillon 1689 Articles
A.P. Dillon is a North State Journal reporter located near Raleigh, North Carolina. Find her on Twitter: @APDillon_