Four months into the General Assembly’s long session, lawmakers have only sent two bills to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.
Stein signed them both into law. The first was a Helene recovery package in March, and the second, which he signed just a few days ago, involved technical corrections to the budget.
Stein can’t sign bills if the legislature doesn’t send him bills, and the session has moved slowly this year. The House and Senate have each been focused on their own chamber’s legislation, and are just now starting to look at what each other are doing.
Both chambers are controlled by Republicans, and Stein is a Democrat. Stein told Republicans during his State of the State speech in March he would sign the Helene bill, even before it got to his desk. That’s a change from former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who wouldn’t give Republicans any indication of what he would do. Stein’s approach has resulted in final bills he is more likely to sign into law, Republicans say, because of more input from the governor during the bill-making process.
At the federal level, Stein has been active in talking with the White House, and records show he talks with members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. Stein was appointed by Trump to be co-chair of the Council of Governors.
On Thursday, Stein sent a letter about what he’d like to see from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is under threat of being dismantled.
Good morning and welcome to our Sunday Under the Dome newsletter that focuses on the governor. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
‘Improve,’ not ‘abolish’ FEMA
Stein disagrees with calls to abolish FEMA. And his letter includes what he thinks the agency should be doing.
“There is no doubt that FEMA could be better and faster. But let us improve it, not abolish it. As Governor of a state vulnerable to hurricanes, flooding, and other extreme weather, I know we cannot afford for FEMA to be eliminated,” Stein wrote to the FEMA Review Council.
Here’s what Stein proposes:
▪ Faster federal funding right after a disaster. FEMA should “disburse an initial tranche of funding immediately after a disaster through a block grant. Rather than requiring post-event applications that take weeks or months to review and approve, send the funding through a block grant that is triggered immediately post-event based on independently verifiable metrics.” States would have a pre-approved action plan with FEMA, but also be eligible for funding beyond the grants depending on the situation.
▪ Flexibility for storms in different areas of a state. Stein pointed out the terrain differences in the mountains vs. North Carolina’s coast. “The current one size fits all model for initial funding is cumbersome for states with very different needs,” he wrote. He wants “event-specific strategies for rapid recovery” and the immediate transfer of federal money.
▪ Rather than use FEMA money to rebuild structures to temporary or pre-storm standards with multiple contractor visits, Stein proposes using the funds “to finish the job in one effort, build back stronger, and save taxpayer money in the process.”
▪ Again with getting the money where it needs to go faster, Stein’s letter recommends the pre-storm state action plan also result in local governments being able to get money quickly rather than waiting for delayed reimbursements. Then instead of approving federal money for projects “one by one,” FEMA would monitor the spending.
▪ Streamline the process for survivors to apply for assistance from the federal government all in one place.
“Nobody wants disaster to strike their state, but we know that simply hoping for the best is not a viable strategy. We must take steps to make disasters less deadly and less costly while also being ready to support survivors when storms hit,” Stein wrote as he ended the letter, adding that he wants to make FEMA “more effective and efficient.”
Stein signs bill but objects to one part
Back to House Bill 74, the bill Stein signed into law this past week:
The technical corrections bill clawed back money for an Oxford water project, but Stein’s statement as he signed the bill focused on something else.
“This bill makes helpful technical changes to give farmers in western North Carolina more time to apply for crop loss grants,” Stein said.
“However, I continue to have concerns about the legislature’s unconstitutional attempt to control the State Highway Patrol. Public safety is a clear function of the executive branch and the Governor, and I will continue to do everything in my power to keep North Carolinians safe.”
The bill transferred the N.C. Center for Missing Persons from the Department of Public Safety to the State Highway Patrol.
Six House Democrats voted with Republicans to approve the bill, and in the Senate, two Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill.
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