NC lawmakers dole out $604 million for Helene relief

The big picture: The storm has killed at least 97 in North Carolina, and more than 20 remain missing, the state said earlier this week. Thousands are still without power, cell service or safe drinking water.

• "They are still in somewhat of a response mode in western North Carolina, and it's going to be a little while before they get out of that mode," state Rep. Mark Pless said in a committee hearing Thursday.

Driving the news: Should the bill become law, the legislature, pulling funds from the state's rainy day fund, will have allocated some $877 million total in hurricane relief, Senate leader Phil Berger's office said.

• The legislation now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper, who proposed that the legislature pass a $3.9 billion funding package.

What they're saying: "This bill that you're going to see today, it's not going to cover everybody's needs. It is going to cover and allow the organizations and the governments that we have that are on the ground right now to be able to move forward," Pless said.

Zoom in: The newest funding package will address a variety of needs that have sprung up following the storm, including:

• $100 million will go to loans for local governments in affected counties
• $100 million for loans to repair water and sewer infrastructure
• $50 million for small business loans
• $10 million to help child care centers reopen
• $5 million for increased mental health services for students, families and school personnel in public schools
• $1 million for rental assistance
• Funding for emergency scholarships for community college students at affected schools

Friction point: Some Democrats said that the legislature should be doing more to help western North Carolina.

• "Speed matters. The people and the economy of our region hang in the balance in this moment. This moment, not in November, not in December, not next year, but now," Buncombe County-based Sen. Julie Mayfield said through tears.
• Mayfield said the legislation failed to include a moratorium on evictions and to provide rent assistance and grants instead of loans for small businesses.
• "We are already seeing a sharp increase in eviction filings just this month," Mayfield said, noting that one church in Asheville has already paid out $200,000 in rental and utility assistance, and the city of Asheville allocated $3 million for rental assistance and home repairs.

Between the lines: The legislation also provides an additional $30 million to North Carolina's Office of Recovery and Resiliency, which requested an additional $175 million to "avoid stopping work" on rebuilding homes for people who had them damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018.

• Berger slammed the governor's administration for requesting the additional funds with just a few days' notice, accusing it of "financial mismanagement."
• U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis's office also criticized the Cooper administration's slow pace of getting victims of Hurricanes Matthew and Florence back in their homes, even years after the storms. He said NCORR's director gave no indication that the agency was facing "such a massive shortfall."
• "Instead of working to actually fix this problem, it seems the governor's office has always been more focused on attacking anyone who drops a hint of criticism over their failure to get assistance to disaster victims," Tillis said in a statement.

The other side: In its request for additional funding, Cooper's administration said that the state initially requested $1.1 billion in federal funding but received just $542 million.

• The program has helped 2,750 families get back into more "resilient" homes so far, and is completing 115 new projects a month these days, Cooper's office told Axios in a statement. Cooper's funding request also noted that rising construction costs are among the reasons the program will need more funding.

What's next: Cooper can sign the legislation, let it become law without his signature or veto it, though Republican lawmakers have enough votes to override his veto.

• The legislature is set to return in November, after the election, to consider additional relief funding.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.