The NC Senate chamber (Photo: ncleg.net)
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina approved wide-ranging legislation Wednesday that was billed as another round of hurricane relief, but instead primarily shifts power within state government away from Democratic officials.
Senate Bill 382 is advertised as the third round of relief for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene caused unprecedented damage in the state’s western counties. But it provides just a fraction of the spending allocated in the previous packages — instead making major changes to the distribution of power within the executive branch.
The bill places new restrictions on the governor’s and attorney general’s offices, limiting their authority months before newly elected Democrats take office. It redirects some of that power to state offices soon to be controlled by Republicans.
And it makes a litany of changes to other parts of state law, including absentee voting, ballot counting, the highway patrol and the judiciary.
It passed the Senate on Wednesday on a 30-19 party-line vote, ending a fast-tracked legislative process of a 131-page bill that did not become public until an hour before debate began on Tuesday.
The bill previously passed the House 63-46, with three Republicans who represent districts in western North Carolina joining Democrats in voting ‘no.’
It now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. He blasted lawmakers on Wednesday for using “financial crumbs to cover for massive power grabs.”
He could veto the legislation; an override in the House would likely require opposing Republicans to change their votes.
Republicans backing the bill have argued it takes another measured step in the state’s response to Helene, pointing to hundreds of millions of dollars approved in prior aid packages.
They urged patience with billions of federal dollars likely coming down the pipeline in the coming months.
“We are going to have to walk the straightest of lines to make sure that we maximize every dollar that we can put into this,” said Deputy Senate President Pro Tem Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell).
“Everything that we’re trying to force out early by saying that we’re not doing anything in western North Carolina is challenging our actual ability to recover from this storm.”
Republicans say many of the bill’s changes to state law and government are needed fixes, such as language that would shorten deadlines for absentee voting and ballot counting.
“The purpose of these changes is to ensure a timelier resolution of election outcomes,” Hise said, referencing vote counts that “drag on for two weeks” — like an ongoing state Supreme Court race in which a Democrat leads.
Democrats continued to blast the legislation on the Senate floor Wednesday, accusing Republicans of distorting hurricane relief for political gain.
“It would have been easy to break out the Hurricane Helene portions of this bill from the rest of the bill that takes purely partisan aim at the pillars of our democracy,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe). “But that is the decision that was made.”
Sen. Mary Willis Bode (D-Granville) said the bill was the Republicans’ attempt at “injuring the other team’s players in the final minutes of a game they know they’re going to lose.” And Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) called it “a sign of weakness.”
“We just came to make these pen swipes and act like we’re here doing something, when all we did was move money from one pot to another,” Grafstein said.
Opponents to bill ejected during Senate debate
While Republicans ticked through the bill on the Senate floor, opponents in the gallery quietly booed and displayed thumbs pointing down.
And after they cheered for a Democrat’s speech, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — who presides over the Senate — ordered a 10-minute break “while these immature people are taken out.” As they were escorted out of the gallery, they shouted “shame” and “fascists.”
Two of the demonstrators, Navy veteran Kelly Parrish and her friend Nancy Nice, came out to denounce what Parrish called a “power grab” by Republicans.
“Republicans can’t win without cheating,” Nice said. “It’s a shell game, too. They just want the news that they’re gonna have some money for western North Carolina — but it’s no new money for western North Carolina.”
Parrish — who held up a sign reading “Stop Hurting Helene Victims” before being escorted out of the gallery — added she was “sorry to see” the protest was not as large as in 2016, when a similar bill stripped Cooper, the then-incoming governor, of many of his powers.
“Democracy dies in the dark. I mean you just cannot let them win,” she said.
What the bill allocates for Helene relief
The bill allocates a total of $252 million for Hurricane Helene relief — but provides few new uses for the money.
“Except as otherwise provided in this act, the funds shall remain unspent until appropriated by an act of the General Assembly,” the bill reads. “It is the intent of the General Assembly to review funding and to consider actions needed to address remaining unmet needs.”
Few line-items in the bill deal specifically with hurricane recovery:
- $50 million for ReBuild NC, which continues to face scrutiny as it runs a deficit and struggles to finish building replacement homes from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
- $33.75 million for child care center grants, to fend off closures of centers in the mountains.
- $25 million for debris removal.
- $2 million for support to soil and water conservation districts in affected counties.
Asheville-area lawmakers, business owners say regional crises loom large
Democrats from Buncombe County, which saw some of Helene’s worst damage, warned Wednesday that without more robust state aid, Asheville and western North Carolina will see its economy suffer and population drain.
Soon, Mayfield warned, crises will compound. A lack of money flowing to businesses means many will close, leaving thousands without work and unable to pay rent. Many of those people would likely leave the region.
“We’re losing the people who make our city run,” Mayfield told reporters at a press conference. “And when they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Several Asheville-area business owners urged lawmakers to revisit a grant program for small businesses.
Previous aid packages have allocated money for a state loan program, but regional leaders have said that’s not enough to meet needs.
“We know that the flood happened,” said J. Hackett, the founder of Black Wall Street in Asheville. “We know that the damage was done. What we don’t know is what the rest of the state is going to do to assist those that are most vulnerable right now.”
‘Nothing for western NC’: Why one House Republican voted ‘no’
Three House Republicans opposed the bill Tuesday: Majority Whip Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), and Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood). All represent districts in western North Carolina.
“The bill appears to do nothing for western NC,” Pless wrote in a statement Wednesday. “There were so many issues being addressed in the bill it was impossible to gain an understanding of what the bill will do across NC. I am not going to vote yes unless I can understand and agree with what the bill does.”
Pless also said he was upset with the lack of process around the 131-page bill, noting that he did not have the opportunity to review it until Tuesday morning.
He added that he is unsure how he would vote on an override of a potential veto from Cooper and will “read and study the bill” further in the interim.
“I will make that decision when the time comes to cast my vote on the override,” he wrote.
Gillespie and Clampitt did not respond to requests for comment.
Cooper has not yet stated whether he will veto the bill, though he has repeatedly condemned legislators for “shortchanging disaster recovery” while prioritizing “power grabs.”
As Republicans only hold a precise 3/5 supermajority in the state House, opposition from any of the three lawmakers would be enough to prevent lawmakers from overcoming a veto if all Democrats are present and voting to sustain the veto.
