NC Senate Democrats Want to Force Vote on Helene Aid Bill, as Budget Talks Continue

By Galen Bacharier

Democrats in the North Carolina Senate want to force a vote on a $464 million hurricane aid bill, aiming to un-tether the relief from ongoing state budget negotiations.

The House unanimously passed House Bill 1012 in late May, approving another round of aid for the western mountains. It includes long-requested grants for small businesses and money for local governments to rebuild infrastructure.

But the bill has been frozen in the Senate, as Republican leaders from both chambers negotiate a compromise on the state budget. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, has signaled he would prefer that the Helene aid be part of that discussion.

Democrats plan to use a procedural maneuver and attempt to force the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.

“Senator Berger wants the legislature to recess for two months while hurricane survivors are still living in uninhabitable homes, facing washed-out roads and waiting for their classrooms to reopen,” Senate Democratic leader Sydney Batch, D-Wake, said in a statement Monday.

“He may be ready for a vacation, but our neighbors in western North Carolina don’t get to take a break from this crisis.”

Berger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Democrats’ plan, formally called a “discharge petition,” is unlikely to receive the support it needs to succeed. The petition requires signatures from two-thirds of members in order to bring a bill out of committee and onto the floor.

The state of negotiations between the House and Senate remains murky. Budget proposals between the two chambers differ greatly on key topics like state worker raises and taxes.

North Carolina’s state fiscal year ends June 30.

NC Newsline is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. NC Newsline retains full editorial independence.