Major Helene relief bill stalls in NC House

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Western North Carolina will have to wait longer for Hurricane Helene relief, as both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly disagree over where the money should go.

On Tuesday, the state House of Representatives voted unanimously to delay consideration of a proposal by the Senate.

Last week, the Senate proposed changes, adding up to nearly $533 million. That’s $33 million more than what the House requested when they initially drafted and approved House Bill 47 last month. The Senate’s edits included an increase in housing reconstruction funding and a brand-new plan to invest $4.5 million into a school extension learning recovery program.

House leaders have stated they require more time to assess the proposed changes.

This would be the fourth round of state relief. However, both sides of the aisle have acknowledged the need for more federal assistance.

“We need federal help,” Sen. Ralph Hise, a Republican from Mitchell County, said in his presentation of the bill last week. “We’ve got challenges, particularly on the needs of private businesses who were devastated by this loss that we have limitations on being able to address.”