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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina Appropriates $582 Million for Western North Carolina Hurricane Helene Recovery
Last action · April 10, 2025: Ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Lindsey Prather and 27 others
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What This Bill Would Do
The General Assembly appropriates $582,229,750 in from the for Hurricane Helene disaster recovery in Western North Carolina, funding state agencies, housing grants, business recovery programs, and local government assistance starting July 1, 2025.
Local governments, small businesses, agricultural producers, and residents in Western North Carolina receive direct state funding for infrastructure repair, housing assistance, mortgage relief, and economic recovery following Hurricane Helene.
- Hurricane Helene struck the southeastern United States in late September 2024, causing catastrophic flooding and infrastructure damage across Western North Carolina. context
- The Savings Reserve is North Carolina's primary state emergency savings fund, utilized to address budget shortfalls and natural disaster recovery needs. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
units of local government in the affected area
Local governments are eligible to apply for affordable housing grants, revenue replacement grants, and other disaster recovery allocations.
businesses in the affected area
Eligible businesses experiencing economic or physical loss may apply for recovery grants up to $75,000 under the state and partner grant programs.
homeowners and renters in the affected area
Residents receive access to unmet needs funding, immediate minor repairs, mortgage and utility assistance, and housing stabilization services.
artists in the affected area
Twenty million dollars of the Dogwood Health Trust partnership grant allocation is reserved specifically for artists.
Key Facts
- The act appropriates $582,229,750 in nonrecurring funds from the Savings Reserve for 2025-2026 for Hurricane Helene unmet needs in Western North Carolina.
- The Department of Commerce receives $107,000,000, including $100,000,000 for Appalachian Community Capital Corporation in partnership with Dogwood Health Trust and $7,000,000 for the CORE Program.
- The Housing Finance Agency receives $105,000,000 for affordable housing grants, homeowner and renter unmet needs, mortgage and utility assistance, and housing stabilization services for homeless populations.
- The Department of State Treasurer receives $100,000,000 for grants to units of local government for revenue replacement.
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- The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources receives $50,000,000, split evenly between park restoration grants and Land and Water Fund flood abatement grants.
- The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services receives $127,423,500 for streambank restoration, food banks, forest fire preparation, agricultural trust funds, and stormwater control.
- The Department of Public Instruction receives $39,200,000 for community college small business centers ($14,000,000) and K-12 Summer Learning Programs ($25,200,000).
- The Office of State Budget and Management receives $26,000,000 for agency operations, directed legal services grants, and damaged independent colleges and universities.
- The Department of Public Safety receives $11,606,250 for resilience, backup power, and core emergency management capacity.
- The Department of Environmental Quality receives $16,000,000 for dam removal design, septic repair grants, and recycling infrastructure.
- The Department of Revenue is authorized to create the Hurricane Helene Business Recovery Grant Program, offering one-time grants up to $75,000 for eligible businesses.
- Appalachian Community Capital Corporation, in partnership with Dogwood Health Trust, is authorized to administer a grant program requiring a one-for-one match of Dogwood funds to State funds, with $20,000,000 reserved for artists.
- All unexpended or unencumbered funds appropriated by this act revert to the Savings Reserve on June 30, 2027, and the act becomes effective July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money does the bill appropriate for Hurricane Helene recovery?
What are the eligibility requirements for businesses applying to the Hurricane Helene Business Recovery Grant Program?
What is the maximum grant amount available to a single business under the business recovery programs?
When do the appropriated funds revert back to the state Savings Reserve if they are not spent?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 10, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 9, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 23 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Public-Private Partnership Funding Structure
The legislation pairs state appropriations with mandatory private matching funds, such as the one-to-one match required from the Dogwood Health Trust for small business grants.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance95How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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