New governor tests relations with North Carolina lawmakers with aid request for Helene recovery
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has asked state legislators to double their spending to date on Hurricane Helene recovery and approve it now
RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein asked state legislators Monday to roughly double their spending so far on recovery from Hurricane Helene, warning that waiting will cause more business closings, housing construction delays and students falling behind.
Speaking in a mountain county hit by the historic flooding, the new Democratic governor said he wants his $1.07 billion request enacted now by the Republican-controlled General Assembly — rather than wait for the two-year budget that starts in July, for which he'll make an additional Helene appeal.
At a news conference at a food bank in Mills River, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) west of Raleigh, Stein said the funds are urgently needed in the first half of the year “so that people can get their lives back together.”
“If we do not act, some businesses will not be here in the summer, and we will miss an entire building season before the winter weather comes again,” he warned, calling the funds a high priority.
The largest chunks of his proposal, which contains no tax increases, would fund grants for struggling businesses; help repair and rebuild homes; clean up farm debris; fix private bridges and roads; and replace revenues spent or lost by local governments. There's also money for summer school in districts that lost at least 15 instructional days shortly after Helene's rampage last September.
“We can ensure that our students are set up for long-term academic success.,” Stein said. “All of these components are necessary to building a safer, stronger and more resilient western North Carolina, and
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