Latest news with #ReBuildNC
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC House & Senate at odds on Helene aid, with $535M relief package on brink of passage
The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) The North Carolina House and Senate are out of step on the legislature's newest Hurricane Helene relief package, sending the bill to joint negotiations as it sits one step away from the governor's desk. House Bill 47, the legislature's $535 million aid deal, will head to a conference committee. The House voted to reject the Senate's changes to the bill on Tuesday, forcing members from both chambers to sit down and hammer out a compromise. 'When the bill came back … we feel like there's some additional language added, some things taken away that we need to discuss further,' said Rep. Dudley Greene (R-Avery). The House originally passed the bill in late February. By the time it made it through the Senate, several major changes had been made. Among them: the removal of money for state park repairs, and an extension of relaxed building codes. Rep. Eric Ager (D-Buncombe) said he supported the move to reject Senate changes, but urged lawmakers to move swiftly. 'I think the most important thing is that we get this money out there quickly,' Ager said. Greene said members of both chambers would be going to conference 'as quickly as possible.' The bill lays out $535 million in new state spending for Helene recovery efforts. And it sends $217 million to ReBuild NC, the long-struggling homebuilding program, to finish construction projects from post-Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. After passing the Senate, the bill included $192 million in agricultural relief, $140 million for a homebuilding program, and $100 million for private road and bridge repairs, among a number of other line-items.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Echoing DOGE, Republicans begin to probe NC government agencies
North Carolina lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 27, 2025. The panel is holding a series of hearings probing agency leaders in state government. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) Republicans in the North Carolina legislature have begun summoning government leaders to answer a series of questions: What do you do? How do you do it? And how does it benefit the state? The House Oversight Committee began its inquiries Thursday, hearing testimony from three new appointees of Gov. Josh Stein, two appointees of former Gov. Roy Cooper, and the state's newly elected Republican treasurer. House Majority Leader Brendan Jones (R-Columbus), a chair for the committee, said it was the first in a 'series of hearings' to evaluate if agencies are 'effective and efficient.' 'That's why we're here, to oversee, to ask what's working and what's not working,' Jones said. 'We want to know if North Carolinians are getting what they pay for.' The new scrutiny from state lawmakers echoes Elon Musk's 'DOGE' office, which has over the past months sought to identify and cut swaths of the federal government. And though North Carolina lawmakers have not indicated that they want major cuts of their own, they have promised stricter oversight under a new governor's administration. House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) has formed a 'government efficiency' committee of his own — tasked with identifying 'potential waste' and examining 'excess' state property. That panel, distinct from the House Oversight Committee, has yet to formally meet. And lawmakers overseeing hurricane recovery continue to probe ReBuild NC, the homebuilding program that has racked up a major deficit and struggled with mismanagement. Any money sent to the ongoing recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene will be closely tracked, lawmakers have said. Other Republican-led states have sought to mirror Musk's efforts in their own states. Iowa launched a task force earlier this month; Florida's committee will dive into university operations and spending. 'Everyone's excited about DOGE,' said Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus). Multiple Democrats on the panel were more dubious. 'I don't know anyone that's excited about DOGE,' responded Rep. Zack Hawkins (D-Durham). 'Maybe him [Echevarria].' Rep. Amber Baker (D-Forsyth) said she would stay away from using 'national terminology,' and instead focus on the state specifically. 'I don't think anybody doesn't want us to look at how to be more efficient in things we do,' Baker said. 'I won't disrespect the people sitting here, to somehow imply you guys aren't doing all you can to be efficient.' Among those topics probed by lawmakers Thursday was diversity, equity and inclusion programming within government. DEI, which in the past has referred to hiring practices, internal training or specific programming, has emerged as a flashpoint for conservative criticism. President Donald Trump has called for the 'elimination' of DEI across the federal government. North Carolina Republicans are also taking aim at it — as multiple state departments take steps to distance themselves from the term. After Echevarria read from the Department of Revenue's mission statement, which included a section about 'diversity and inclusion,' the agency's director said it was from the previous administration and would 'not be included' in their new strategic plan. There were 'DEI practices that were encouraged' from the state's HR office, director McKinley Wooten, Jr. said. The department did not have a specific DEI program, he added, and would be unaffected by legislation removing DEI from government. Asked a similar question, budget director Kristin Walker said she had her team 'strive to create a welcoming environment in our office.' 'We absolutely do have to have the best and brightest.' Two newly elected Republicans have also pledged to get rid of any traces of DEI within their departments — State Treasurer Brad Briner and Auditor Dave Boliek. Wooten, Briner and Walker all testified in front of the House panel Thursday. They were joined by State Controller Nels Rosland — a Cooper appointee, like Walker — as well as Joey Hopkins, the transportation secretary, and Wayne Goodwin, the soon-to-depart DMV commissioner. The state's budget director also signaled Thursday that use of artificial intelligence could become more commonplace soon. Asked whether artificial intelligence could play a role in detecting government waste, Walker said the state's Department of Information Technology was 'soon going to allow state agencies access to Microsoft Copilot.' Copilot is an AI tool used increasingly in workplace to automate some tasks — particularly connected to Microsoft's suite of other apps.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP lawmakers move to fund final stretch of ReBuild NC, after years of financial woes
Laura Hogshead (bottom left), now the former director of ReBuild NC, and Pryor Gibson (bottom right), advisor to Gov. Roy Cooper, testify in front of lawmakers about North Carolina's hurricane recovery housebuilding program on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) Top House Republicans are moving to send a final bundle of money to the long struggling ReBuild NC program, as officials aim to finish post-hurricane homebuilding efforts in eastern North Carolina that have taken almost a decade. Rep. Brendan Jones (R-Columbus) filed a bill Tuesday to send $217 million to the agency — fulfilling their request to help finish homes for those impacted by Hurricanes Florence and Matthew. Jones serves as the House Majority Leader and a co-chair of the committee investigating the agency. 'No more excuses,' Jones wrote on social media. 'Just results.' ReBuild NC (or NCORR), established by former Gov. Roy Cooper, has for years faced mismanagement and financial troubles, as previously reported by NC Newsline and Inside Climate News. In November, officials revealed the agency had run up a $221 million deficit. And in late January, its leader told lawmakers that unless they provided permanent funding to finish work, they would likely lose key contractors. The agency has become a top source of frustration for Republicans, who continue to scrutinize the agency. Further scrutiny is built into Jones' bill: the agency must regularly submit reports detailing all expenses and documentation. And officials must keep must State Auditor Dave Boliek, a Republican, apprised of spending. Jones' bill is titled 'an act to enact the Close Out Operations Provide Emergency Relief Act' — or the C.O.O.P.E.R. Act, in reference to the former governor. 'I anticipate us sending some additional funds for NCORR to complete its work,' House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) told reporters Tuesday evening. 'We know the problem's got to be solved there.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC lawmakers weigh new aid for Hurricane Helene, drafting up $500 million in new spending
Repair vehicles from the North Carolina Department of Transportation repair a partially cratered road in western North Carolina amid the recovery from Hurricane Helene. (Photo: NCDOT) State lawmakers are preparing to spend an additional $500 million in relief for western North Carolina, laying the groundwork for their fourth aid package since Hurricane Helene and the first of 2025. Under a bill introduced by GOP lawmakers Wednesday in the House Select Committee on Helene Recovery, the General Assembly would move another $275 million into the state's Helene relief fund. Together with a bill passed in December that set aside without spending more than $200 million, the total new commitment would exceed a half-billion dollars. The new relief package would be the legislature's largest aid bill since mid-October, when it set out $600 million in a second round of relief. It would push the state's total financial commitment to the storm well over $1 billion. Though the bill funds multiple key requests outlined by Gov. Josh Stein, it falls well short of the total new spending he had requested — $1 billion to address 'immediate needs.' 'This is a starting point, with multiple bills after to follow,' said Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne), who co-chairs the House committee. He called the bill a 'framework' open to changes, and said discussions were well underway with the Senate, Stein's office and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler's office. That committee will return next week for debate and amendments on the bill; Wednesday's hearing was only for discussion. Among the largest line-items in the new proposed relief bill are: $150 million for a new homebuilding program under the Department of Commerce. The program is part of Stein's new team leading efforts out west and effectively replacing ReBuild NC, the long-troubled program in eastern North Carolina. $150 million for the Department of Agriculture to restore damages to farms, protect against additional flood damage and more. $100 million to repair private roads and bridges. $60 million to repair damaged state parks, forests and health care facilities. $20 million for debris removal. $10 million for for grants to volunteer organizations assisting with recovery. $10 million for grants to small and volunteer fire departments. Private road and bridge repairs are ordinarily not covered by government spending. But officials have indicated that the scale of damage done to vital mountain infrastructure that's privately owned requires aid. A new program within North Carolina's emergency management department would be charged with approving and sending out the money for private repairs. The state took a similar approach after Tropical Storm Fred in 2021. Republican leaders in the legislature have repeatedly warned against spending too much, too fast, on the state level. And in this latest proposed relief, they outline guardrails to prevent duplicate spending — instructing the state to 'take all reasonable steps' to obtain federal money or alternative steps. Included in the bill are several of Stein's top priorities — notably money for the new homebuilding program, as officials warn federal housing money could take months to arrive. Lawmakers have spent years scrutinizing the state's previous homebuilding program, which was created after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence and has faced years-long financial troubles. 'I really believe that there is a desire on the part of the governor's office not to see that repeated,' said Rep. Dudley Greene (R-Avery). The proposed relief bill also pledges more than Stein asked for farm recovery and private infrastructure. But absent are several other major asks — including money for business grants and for schools to provide summer education. 'My administration has prioritized a number of items that simply cannot wait until the General Assembly enacts its budget for the next fiscal year,' Stein wrote in a letter to legislative leaders this week. His office has indicated a more comprehensive budget request, including long-term needs, will come later. 'Have you ever seen a governor's proposed budget or request go through the General Assembly 'as is'?' Bell said. 'The answer is no. The fact is, we've already done multiple hurricane bills, and we'll do more after this.' On the other side of the building, a trio of senators introduced an aid bill Wednesday — a similar 'shell' bill that does not outline a specific spending total or line-items. Bell said he was optimistic that both chambers could come to an agreement in the coming weeks. 'Hopefully we'll get to a good place,' he said. House Bill 47 PCS
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Is ReBuild NC involved in disaster management in western North Carolina?
Residents of Swannanoa live in campers and tents as their homes remain destroyed or uninhabitable from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. (Photo: Lisa Sorg/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. SWANNANOA—People are living in campers in fields of debris off U.S. 70, the main thoroughfare through the small town of Swannanoa, east of Asheville. Cars are buried nose-first under dirt and rock. On side streets, homes have been gutted and abandoned, emblazoned with official signs that say 'unsafe.' A woman walking her terrier remarked, 'I saw a child's ball. That kid lost everything.' At Eagle Rock Church, several people sifted through clothing and blankets while others picked from an array of canned food. A man filled large tanks with water from the church's well so he could flush his toilet. Propane tanks and coats were in high demand. 'The outpouring of support has been awesome,' said Pastor Ramona Nix, her dog, Duchess, by her side. She had met President Donald Trump in Asheville the week prior, where he floated the idea of dismantling the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 'We've never asked for government help,' Nix said. 'The red tape you have to go through has been ridiculous. He meant what he said.' It's been four months since Hurricane Helene flooded and flattened thousands of square miles of western North Carolina. Recovery will likely take decades, and possibly longer, if FEMA is dissolved. That could leave the state government to fund and manage a complex $60 billion recovery and rebuilding program. But since 2016, North Carolina has bungled recoveries after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, as ReBuild NC overspent its $779 million federal budget by more than $220 million, and ran out of money to complete the work. On his first day in office, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said publicly that ReBuild NC would not be involved in Hurricane Helene recovery. Instead, the agency would focus on finishing its work in eastern North Carolina, where, because of years of financial and logistical mismanagement, more than 1,100 people have been stranded without permanent homes since Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and Florence two years later, according to current figures. Gov. Stein reorganized parts of state government and formed the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina to oversee some of the work. But in fact, ReBuild NC is working on Helene recovery, state records show. The agency has key responsibilities in case management for storm survivors—even though records and homeowners' accounts show it is still failing to fulfill those same duties for survivors in eastern North Carolina. And even though the state Division of Emergency Management could have activated a contract already in place with an outside company. An interagency agreement between the N.C. Division of Emergency Management and ReBuild NC obtained under public records law reveals that ReBuild will leverage 'its technical expertise and operational capacity,' will 'act as the operational lead' and administer the Disaster Case Management Program on behalf of NCEM. Job postings on government websites show ReBuild NC was accepting applications for case managers in mid-January. ReBuild NC will receive $21.7 million from FEMA via the Division of Emergency Management to do the work, said Justin Graney, a division spokesman. The agreement was signed by Division of Emergency Management Director Will Ray and Jane Gilchrist, who was chief of staff at the Department of Public Safety, the agency over ReBuild NC. Graney said no current ReBuild NC case managers are working on western North Carolina recovery. The majority of new hires are headquartered at the Buncombe County Disaster Recovery Center, with additional personnel fanned out across western North Carolina, he said, but did not provide names or job titles. The Division of Emergency Management plans to hire 75 case managers by March, at which point it will be fully staffed, Graney said. They will conduct outreach and meet with long-term recovery groups and disaster survivors living in hotels through the FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program. Graney said the case management for Helene, funded by FEMA, differs from ReBuild NC's previous work, which received money and oversight from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 'This is not a construction management type of program, which is what [ReBuild] managed,' Graney said. However, ReBuild NC was in charge of not just construction but also case management for Hurricane Matthew and Florence survivors. Initially the agency oversaw a contractor, Horne LLP, to do project management, including case management. ReBuild NC then hired its own employees to do that work when the contract with Horne was not renewed. (Jonathan Krebs, an advisor to Gov. Stein for Helene recovery, previously worked for Horne as a managing partner for Government Services.) Case management has long been in disarray. Homeowners have complained on social media, testified before state lawmakers and written letters to North Carolina officials, including Gov. Stein, when he was attorney general, about the lack of communication and incorrect information they received from case managers. Graney said the Division of Emergency Management, not ReBuild NC, will manage funds, as well as 'ensure that the program provides suitable customer service to disaster survivors across western North Carolina.' Stein's office did not answer questions sent by email about whether the governor was debriefed on ReBuild NC's role before announcing the agency would not be working in western North Carolina. Instead, a spokesperson provided a statement: 'Governor Stein is approaching the recovery efforts in western North Carolina with four pillars: urgency, focus, transparency, and accountability. 'In addition, he established an advisory committee that includes people on the ground in western NC—many of whom were personally impacted by Helene—which will allow him to remain agile and ensure our office's work is making a difference in a meaningful way. He looks forward to partnering with the General Assembly so that [ReBuild] can finish the job in eastern North Carolina.' In late September, as Hurricane Helene barreled up the spine of the Appalachians and destroyed parts of western North Carolina, ReBuild NC was in financial crisis. Beyond overspending its $779 million budget for the previous two storms by more than $220 million, it was chronically late paying stipends to hurricane survivors and owed contractors money. Work on many homes had stopped—or never started—because there was no money to pay the contractors. To cut costs, ReBuild NC had laid off more than 40 people a month earlier, primarily housing specialists, but also several employees who wrote flood insurance policies for homeowners who lived in 100-year flood plains. The agency stopped placing people in motels, an expensive option for temporary housing, and opted for apartments instead. ReBuild NC has spent nearly $84 million on temporary housing as of this month. At some point between Helene's landfall and mid-November, emails show leadership at Emergency Management and ReBuild NC began planning to provide disaster case management services for western North Carolina. On Nov. 18, state lawmakers summoned Laura Hogshead, ReBuild's embattled executive director, to testify before an oversight committee about ReBuild NC's troubled finances. At that hearing, several lawmakers said they could not trust the agency to manage disaster recovery in western North Carolina. 'Why in the world with ReBuild's past history would we give y'all the west?' said Sen. Brent Jackson, a Republican who represents five counties in eastern North Carolina. Hogshead indicated she wanted ReBuild NC to work on Helene disaster recovery. 'I would submit [ReBuild] has the expertise. We know what to do and what not to do. We can get the funding quicker. We've done this recently and a different entity would have to relearn hard lessons.' The next day Graney confirmed with Inside Climate News that the Division of Emergency Management had partnered with the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, ReBuild's formal name, 'to coordinate and staff the North Carolina Disaster Case Management Program with case managers. NCORR will not be managing FEMA funding and is providing disaster case management services only.' At the time, FEMA was still reviewing the budget and scope of work for those services, so the document was not finalized. Two days later, on Nov. 20, Hogshead left the agency. State personnel laws limit what is publicly known about her departure, but at the committee hearing Hoghead told lawmakers she would not resign. The Division of Emergency Management had another option besides ReBuild NC. It had a 'pre-positioned all-hazard contract' with a consulting firm, North Highland, based in Charlotte. The company works in several industries, and has a division devoted to emergency management. Agencies can award these advance contracts before an incident occurs, according to the FEMA website, 'to conduct a deliberate procurement process outside of the pressure and immediate demands of a disaster. It also helps to ensure that applicants have contractors ready to perform work quickly after an incident occurs when needed most.' North Highland officials did not respond to emails seeking comment. Graney said even with the North Highland contract, it would still take time to execute it, hire personnel and establish the program. 'The decision was made to not execute one of the pre-positioned all-hazard contracts for disaster case management,' Graney said, and to handle it within state government at ReBuild NC. Back in Swannanoa, a gutted one-story home sat behind two tall, slender fir trees. A wall clock emblazoned with an illustration of a unicorn sat by the door. A QR code on the front of the house read 'Help Mark Rebuild.' And the mailbox stated, in raspberry letters, 'Imagining a Better Future.' The state legislature is holding two hearings about hurricane recovery: House Select Committee on Helene Recovery Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m. Watch the livestream here. Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery Thursday, Jan. 30, 8:30 a.m. Watch the livestream here.
