Governor Stein appeared at the Legislature last week to deliver his “State of the State” address. The theme of his remarks was “North Carolina Strong” and stressed WNC relief and education spending.  Speaker Destin Hall delivered a response after the presentation to the press.  The address coincides with a time in which Hall and other legislators have been highly critical of Governor Roy Cooper’s response to disaster relief and lack of accountability after Hurricane Matthew and in response to Hurricane Helene.  A transcript of Governor Stein’s address and Speaker Hall’s response are linked below.

Western NC relief remains at the forefront of the legislators’ concerns this session as the House and Senate pass bills to send additional aid to the region.  The Senate passed a fourth round of relief this month, allocating an additional $545 million to WNC.  The Senate version now goes to the House for concurrence as it adjusted upward the earlier House figure. $100M of that sum is set aside for private roads and bridges.

Once passed, the total sum appropriated will exceed the $1B mark since an initial October 2024 appropriation. Relief money is coming from both the federal and state levels, with NC congressional members introducing legislation earlier this year (“Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act”).  Latest information has the federal government covering 90% of recovery efforts.

NC DOT is seeking input on rebuilding Helene-damaged roads and bridges from WNC residents. Current estimates have over 8000 private roads and bridges as significantly damaged from Helene — and many of these constitute the only means of access for residents, mail, emergency services, school transportation, etc.

Joey Hopkins was confirmed as Governor Stein’s pick as Secretary of DOT by the Senate earlier this month. Hopkins continues in the role he first assumed as Governor Roy Cooper’s DOT Secretary.  Hopkins is a career-DOT employee, having served previously as deputy chief engineer, division engineer, deputy division engineer, etc.  Hopkins testified before the House Oversight Committee recently and estimated that total DOT repairs for Helene will exceed $5B. His testimony is summarized in a informative piece linked here:

An energy bill filed this week and quickly passed through the Senate would seek to undo the 70% carbon neutrality goal imposed by the NC Utilities Commission last November and smooth the glide path to cleaner generation by extending the date out to 2050 with the hope of also smoothing out the rate shock of multi-billions in new generation. SB 261, introduced by Senators Paul Newton and Phil Berger, untethered NC from aninterim date of 2030 compliance and extended it out 25 years.  The bill now moves to the House.

Governor Stein’s State of the State Address:

Speaker Destin Hall’s Response to State of the State Address: