NC legislative committee will focus on Helene recovery ahead of next year’s session

A committee of North Carolina lawmakers will meet over the coming month to discuss how to approach additional Hurricane Helene aid ahead of next year’s legislative session.

The House select committee, announced by House Speaker Tim Moore on Monday, comes after the General Assembly passed three bills that send money to the mountains. But with a years-long recovery ahead, lawmakers are expected to have to take further action.

“The creation of this committee is a critical step toward helping western North Carolina recover and rebuild after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Moore said in a statement. “By hearing from key stakeholders and resources, we can ensure that our future response is coordinated, effective, and focused on the needs of the affected communities.”

Rep. Dudley Greene (R-McDowell) and Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) will chair the House committee.

It has 47 total members, many of whom hail from western counties hit hardest by the storm. Among the Democrats on the committee are Reps. Eric Ager, Lindsey Prather and Caleb Rudow, who all represent parts of Buncombe County.

A spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger did not immediately say whether there were plans to appoint a similar committee in the Senate.

Lawmakers will return to Raleigh next year with new members, a new governor and continued disagreements about how to best approach Helene aid.

Republicans have touted their series of aid packages as measured steps that address immediate crises in the region, while not over-committing resources that could come from the federal government. But Democrats have argued that state aid thus far has been insufficient, as well as distorted by the latest bill that also makes major changes to executive power in state government.

In Washington, negotiations continue about federal aid for Helene-impacted states. U.S. Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina sent a letter to leaders in Congress urging a vote next week, Punchbowl News reported.