RALEIGH — As a full state budget has still not yet been agreed upon by the North Carolina House and Senate, a smaller spending bill with specific carve-outs for disaster relief for Tropical Storm Chantal was passed by the legislature last week and was signed by Gov. Josh Stein.
House Bill 358 includes funding for disaster recovery efforts in the affected counties of Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Moore, Orange, Person and Wake.
“This law makes helpful investments across the state. Tropical Storm Chantal destroyed infrastructure and left debris throughout central North Carolina, and this bill provides necessary state funding to draw down even more federal resources to support recovery,” Stein said in a press release. “The law also supports the state’s broader economic development efforts, including in Hertford and Brunswick counties.”
Of the $65.5 million coming from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund, $55 million will go to the Department of Public Safety, while $5.5 million is allocated for road repairs related to Chantal.
The Division of Emergency Management will get $40 million related to Hurricane Helene federal match requirements and $15 million for Tropical Storm Chantal for federal matching.
Infrastructure items of note in the bill include $5 million to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for a Regional Emergency Response Center, $35 million for public infrastructure improvements around Raleigh’s Lenovo Center and $51 million for economic development projects in Hertford County.
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority gets $750,000 in nonrecurring funds for an expansion accommodating Aer Lingus’ new direct flights between RDU and Dublin in 2026. Two other airports received funding: $3.6 million to Hertford County’s Tri-County Airport for hangar upgrades, and $10.4 million to the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport Authority in Craven County for infrastructure and site improvements.
Also, proceeds from the sale of the chancellor’s residence at North Carolina Central will be held in a special fund for the purchase of a new residence.
Another bill with regulatory reforms was also sent to Stein, which he allowed to become law without his signature.
“The bill includes a handful of common-sense regulatory reforms, and I appreciate the legislature’s engagement with state agencies on a number of the provisions,” Stein wrote. “However, I remain concerned about provisions that negatively impact water quality.”
House Bill 926 passed both chambers with bipartisan support. In the House, ten Democrats voted with Republicans for passage and in the Senate, three Democrats voted yes.
The bill includes a wide range of regulatory reforms aimed at bureaucratic hurdles for citizens and businesses. It also streamlines wastewater system approvals, grants land surveyors limited rights to enter private property without trespassing and adjusts building and development rules by exempting small residential projects from certain stormwater permits.
The legislation includes procedural and regulatory changes, such as reducing oversight frequency for certain water treatment facilities, requiring Social Security number verification for occupational licenses and extending notice periods for administrative hearings.
Additionally, it prohibits fees for canceled inspections and protects American flag displays on private property. The bill also expands culinary alcohol permits, allows flexibility for off-site food service at workplaces and clarifies property use rights while extending contract terms for municipal power agencies and protecting racing facilities from nuisance lawsuits.
