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Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
North Carolina House advances more Hurricane Helene aid in $465M package
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina House advanced another Hurricane Helene funding package on Thursday to address pressing needs in the mountains eight months after the storm caused historic flooding and destruction. The $465 million package, approved unanimously by the chamber just one day after its unveiling, is about half the $891 million that Democratic Gov. Josh Stein requested from the Republican-controlled General Assembly this week. Republicans lawmakers had been working on their package well before Stein's pitch on Monday. The package, which now goes to the Senate for consideration, includes grants for farmers to rebuild barns and greenhouses and for businesses that have experienced monetary storm-related losses. There are also funds to continue debris removal and to repair schools and private roads and bridges. 'The funding in this bill is practical and is going to real work to get done,' GOP Rep. Jennifer Balkcom of Henderson County, one of the counties harmed by the storm, said during floor debate. To date, the General Assembly has appropriated or allocated more than $1.6 billion in recovery funds since September's storm. That contrasts with the estimated $60 billion in overall Helene damages and recovery needs. More than 100 people died from the storm in North Carolina, state officials say. Disaster relief already approved by Congress and other federal funding sources may ultimately provide more than $15 billion to North Carolina. But those funds have been slow to reach the state. Stein, who is seeking more federal funds, said this week that western North Carolina needs more state assistance now, rather than wait on 'uncertain federal assistance.' House members from both parties praised the newest round of recovery funding. 'I think we'll never get enough money from the federal (government) or the state to make us whole by any stretch, and we think we all know that,' Democratic Rep. Eric Ager of Buncombe County said. 'But this is going to make a big difference.' Ager and others emphasized the $60 million included to initiate a leading priority for the governor — a state program providing direct grants to businesses that suffered economic losses from the storm and its aftermath. GOP lawmakers declined to provide such payments in the most recent aid package enacted in March even while offering similar grants to farmers for agricultural losses from Helene and other weather emergencies. House Speaker Destin Hall said GOP colleagues had been worried a business grant program that lacked controls would lead to funds for many companies that don't need help, like what happened with COVID-19 pandemic business grants from the federal government. This initiative, however, requires applicants to show details of financial need, such as an economic loss of at least $25,000. The maximum grant allowed would be $75,000. 'If we have some standard that we can measure those things, our folks are much more comfortable with it,' Hall told reporters this week. The package provides funds for other items that Stein sought, albeit at lower levels. There's $12.5 million for parks, museum and library repairs; $33 million for public school repairs; and tens of millions of dollars to cover federal matching funds for local and state governments. The Senate agreed to set aside $700 million in its two-year budget plan approved last month for future Helene recovery needs, but left out details on how to spend it. The House crafted the newest tranche of aid separate from its own budget bill, which it approved on Thursday. Helene aid and the budget likely will become intertwined in the coming weeks because the two chambers are using different funding sources. The House wants to use money that the Senate budget earmarked for future construction of the state's first stand-alone children's hospital. The House has been cautious about offering more hospital funds right now.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC House okays bills on school calendar, medical records for parents and powers of state auditor
The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) Lawmakers in the North Carolina House approved a torrent of legislation Tuesday evening, ranging from a more flexible school calendar, expanding parents' access to their children's medical records and expanding the scope of the state auditor's investigations. The floor debate flurry came two days before the legislature's self-imposed Thursday 'crossover' deadline — in which a bill must be approved by one chamber, or else be considered effectively 'dead' for the remainder of the two-year legislative biennium (with some exceptions). Both the House and Senate are swiftly pushing a raft of policy changes through the legislative process this week. The House moved through 31 bills during hours of debate Tuesday. Districts setting their own school year calendars Under current North Carolina law, the school year can begin no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26, and end no later than the Friday closest to June 11. Districts would be granted more flexibility to create their calendars under a bill passed by the House on Tuesday. House Bill 121 would repeal the 2004 calendar law — one notably backed by the tourism industry — in favor of a policy allowing districts to set their own calendars. It passed the chamber, 111-2, with no debate. The House has passed bills altering the school calendar for years, but they have always died over in the Senate. A separate proposal, Senate Bill 754, would allow schools to start a week earlier. Parents' access to medical records House debate grew heated as the chamber passed a bill requiring parents' consent to grant children medical treatment or prescriptions. House Bill 519 was prompted, Republican backers say, by constituent complaints that common medical practice allowed children starting at age 12 to opt out of sharing information with their parents. 'Doctors can and should still listen to and counsel children,' said Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson). 'But when it comes to treatment, getting medication or performing procedures, that's when parents need to be involved.' Democrats warned against the proposal, arguing that it would infringe on confidential care that includes mental health and contraception. 'You are stripping teenagers of rights they currently have, to seek care independently,' said Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham). 'That is not just cruel, it's dangerous.' Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) voted in favor of the bill, saying 'nowadays you need to know' as a parent about the treatment and procedures your children are receiving. It passed the House 68-41. The Republican majority also passed House Bill 606, changing the statute of limitations for gender affirming care related medical malpractice claims. This measure removes the cap on noneconomic damages for medical malpractice claims involving gender affirming care. Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake) said the bill was intended to strike fear in the hearts of healthcare providers, but it would not change the outcome for those seeking gender transition procedures. State auditor investigating 'publicly funded entities' Republicans continued their quest to further empower new state Auditor Dave Boliek with another bill passed Tuesday. House Bill 549 grants Boliek's office the power to investigate any entity that receives state or federal money, an expansion of his current authority auditing state agencies and government programs. And it was further amended Tuesday to remove exemptions from state workers under the auditor's office — effectively allowing Boliek to replace those workers with new hires. 'This gives him a little exercise of freedom to run his office a little more efficiently,' said House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus). Jones acknowledged that there was still further work to be done with the bill. Democrats urged their colleagues to halt the bill — dubious of it improving in the Senate and worried about its impacts on the auditor's office in the long term. Rep. Tim Longest (D-Wake) said the removed exemptions was 'politicizing state employment.' And House Democratic Leader Robert Reives (D-Chatham) questioned why lawmakers weren't giving 'that same trust to state employees that are already there.' The bill passed the House 66-46. Bills in committee: Drivers licenses, death penalty and constitutional convention A number of prominent bills also continued advancing through committees Tuesday ahead of Thursday's deadline. Suspension on driver's license expirations: North Carolina drivers' licenses set to expire would remain valid for two years under a bill considered Tuesday. House Bill 821 comes as the state DMV continues to face struggles, with many North Carolinians unable to make an appointment to renew their licenses. 'Hopefully this will relieve the DMV of some renewals so they can organize themselves better and address their responsibilities,' said Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba). The legislation also allows lawmakers to consider the several ongoing studies of the department and eventually issue recommendations. Electric chair and firing squad death penalties: The House Committee on State and Local Government approved a bill Tuesday permitting use of the electric chair and death by firing squad with the goal of ending a nearly 20-year moratorium on the death penalty. House Bill 270 could allow the first execution by electrocution in North Carolina in almost a century. Rep. Reece Prytle (R-Rockingham) said the measure 'seeks to restore the death penalty as a deterrent and an option for prosecutors across the state,' adding that it would create no new capital offenses and was limited in scope to resuming executions. The bill drew pushback from Democratic representatives who questioned the safety and efficacy of the methods of capital punishment it would introduce. Rep. Vernetta Alston (D-Durham) cited the costs the state would incur in creating the infrastructure to carry out execution via the electric chair, which no prison in the state is currently equipped to perform. Foster care: The House unanimously approved a bill overhauling the state foster care system. House Bill 612 gives the state Department of Health and Human Services greater oversight of child welfare cases in county offices, allows for open adoptions, and removes the requirement that parents pay child support for children in county custody, among other changes. DHHS sets child welfare policies, but it's the responsibility of counties to administer them. The decentralized system leads to variations in operations and decisions. Legislators have been talking for years about the need for improvements, said Rep. Allen Chesser (R-Nash), the bill's lead sponsor. 'We're at the position where we can start turning the ship where we really start putting children first and families first in our system,' he said. Constitutional convention: A House judiciary committee also advanced a joint resolution Tuesday that would call for a national convention to make changes to the U.S. Constitution. Rep. Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance) said with House Joint Resolution 379, North Carolina will join 19 other states seeking to amend the federal Constitution. The Convention of States seeks to impose term limits, greater fiscal restraint, and limit the scope and reach of the federal government. 'It was designed to give the states an opportunity to put in corrections to the national government, if the federal government is becoming rather obtuse and not paying attention,' Riddell said. North Carolina Republicans in the House and Senate have filed similar bills for years. But with the crossover deadline fast approaching, it's unclear if this year's attempt will advance. NC Newsline's Brandon Kingdollar, Clayton Henkel, and Lynn Bonner contributed reporting.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC House passes bill curbing minors' access to confidential mental health, STD care
A bill limiting when minors can consent to medical treatment without parental involvement passed the North Carolina House, with every Republican who voted supporting it and all but four Democrats who voted opposing it. Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, a Hendersonville Republican, said the bill upheld the 'essential role of parents in a child's life, especially when it comes to medical decisions.' 'In almost every area of a child's life, we assume the parents are responsible for their child,' Balkcom said. 'But somehow, when it comes to emotional health, STDs and drug or alcohol abuse, we still have parents have no role. That doesn't make any sense,' she said. House Bill 519, titled the 'Parents' Medical Bill of Rights,' would require healthcare providers to obtain parental consent before treating a minor in most cases. That includes care related to mental health, substance use and sexually transmitted infections — areas where current law allows some minors to seek treatment confidentially. The bill includes exceptions for medical emergencies, abuse or neglect cases, and when a parent or guardian can't be located. It also expands parents' rights to access medical records, narrowing when information can be withheld. Minors would still be able to consent on their own for treatment for a pregnancy, excluding for abortions. They would also be able to consent to treatment for sexually transmitted diseases that can be treated with a prescription with a duration of 10 days or less. After the bill passed, House Speaker Destin Hall said it was crafted with input from the medical community to balance concerns about minors in abusive situations with parents' rights to be involved in their children's medical care. But Hall emphasized that the default should be parental involvement. 'Unless there's some sort of abuse from a parent, a parent really has a right to know at the end of the day what sort of medical decisions are being made for their child,' he said. Debate during session Rep. Carla Cunningham, of Charlotte, was one of the four Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. She as joined by Democratic Reps. Abe Jones, Garland Pierce and Amos Quick. 'This might be the hardest bill I'll ever have to vote on because of my history with my own child who is involved with (the) long-term mental health and behavioral health' population, Cunningham said. When her son was a teen, she said she was blocked from obtaining records or directing care for his treatment until he was adjudicated as incompetent. 'This is hard, but if the patient or your son or your daughter is not getting the proper treatment, then you need to know that,' she said. 'And there's a lot of people that don't know how to advocate and do that,' she said. The bill faced pushback from other Democrats, who said it would limit access to critical care for minors. Rep. Julie Von Haefen, an Apex Democrat, said the bill would create a 'chilling effect on minors seeking out treatment.' 'It takes a village to raise a child,' Von Haefen said. 'Parents cannot do it alone. Kids need other adults that they can talk to and who they can trust. Doctors are those trusted adults that I would want my own kids to be able to talk to.' Rep. Deb Butler, a Wilmington Democrat, said not all parents are accepting of the care their child needs. 'Some parents are loving and supportive, but others are abusive, absent or deeply opposed to the care their child may need, whether it's therapy, birth control, gender affirming treatment,' Butler said. 'It's about politics, and our kids deserve better than being used as pawns,' she said. Rep. Dean Arp, a Republican who represents Union County, agreed that children shouldn't be 'used as pawns,' but his statement contradicted Butler's reasoning. 'Children should not be used as pawns to further a liberal agenda that further separates the children from their parents,' Arp said. Jillian Riley, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in North Carolina said current law 'provides an opportunity for vulnerable young people to speak privately with a trusted, qualified adult and receive appropriate health care. 'Taking this option away will only increase their risk of unintended pregnancy, untreated STIs, and long-term harm to their health,' Riley said. Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the socially conservative NC Values Coalition, disagreed, saying, 'Parents need to be involved when children face serious medical conditions.' 'It is dangerous and irresponsible to allow children to make medical decisions in secret, especially when those decisions involve mental health, drug use or sexual activity,' she said. The bill now moves to the Senate.
