Helene relief bill that strips incoming governor of power could see veto override vote this week

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- This week, state lawmakers are expected to resume debate on SB 382 -- the controversial bill that ties hundreds of millions of dollars in new disaster relief funding for Hurricane Helene to sweeping changes in state law.

The General Assembly is set to return Monday, where work on overriding Governor Cooper's recent veto of the bill could begin.

Cooper vetoed SB 382 last week, calling the bill a "sham" and criticizing Republicans for tying relief to legal changes. Among other changes, SB 382 would change North Carolina election law -- giving voters less time to fix issues with their provisional ballots -- and strip certain powers away from the Governor and Attorney General. It includes $227 in new funding for Helene relief.

"Two months since Helene, there's a lot of progress being made, but there's still so far to go," said Charity Honeycutt, a Burnsville native who has spent the last two months shuttling supplies and aid from Tennessee across the border into Western North Carolina. Those efforts have blossomed into a new non-profit, Mountain Strong.

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"We've raised a substantial amount of money, but that doesn't even you know, come close to, you know, dipping a toe and just what our community actually needs," Honeycutt said.

Republicans have so far downplayed the political aspects of SB 382, saying they're doing what they can to get help out West.

"We want to do this in a way where we're certainly going to give them the funding that they need, but we want to make sure the funding is going towards putting people back in their homes, rebuilding businesses," said Destin Hall, the newly chosen House Speaker.

Charity called the debate "frustrating", but said it emboldens volunteers to do the hard work they're focused on.

"They have their priorities, but that's where the Appalachians have shown their resilience, honestly taking matters into their own hands and there's been organizations like ours that have formed and are trying to get money into the hands of the people that need it most as quickly as possible."

SEE ALSO | Some socially vulnerable communities taking longer to recover from Hurricane Helene