Stein signs stopgap funding bill aiding law enforcement and businesses impacted by disasters

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Thursday signed into law a grab-bag bill including funding for a variety of statewide initiatives, plus several regulatory modifications aimed at easing Hurricane Helene recovery.

The legislature has now approved several smaller funding bills as its Republican leaders have failed to reach a deal on a full state budget. The state House adjourned Wednesday for the rest of the year, with House Speaker Destin Hall saying they’d try again at budget negotiations sometime in 2026.

Senate Bill 449, the latest mini-budget effort, expands and modifies a loan program for businesses that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. It also makes disaster-related modifications to development rules and a local government grant program. The measure also provides funding for state ferry system maintenance, a State Highway Patrol communication initiatives and recruitment for the State Bureau of Investigation.

"This bill makes some needed investments for law enforcement, our state’s ferries, and budget technology, and it provides greater flexibility so that the state’s Hurricane Helene recovery efforts can help more people,” Stein said in a statement Thursday.

Lawmakers passed the bill Wednesday as part of a brief session focused primarily on the approval of new congressional districts. Lawmakers have been approving small spending bills such as SB 449 while they remain at an impasse over a full state budget. Leaders of the House and Senate are far apart on issues including Medicaid funding and raises for state employees.

The current fiscal year started July 1. Without a new state budget, the state operates on funding levels approved in the most recent budget, but lawmakers often approve stopgap funding through separate bills for initiatives that need new funding.

Stein called out lawmakers for not agreeing on a full budget, saying that the passage of SB 449 “proves that this legislature is able to come together and get results for the people of North Carolina when they want to.”

“Families are still waiting for the legislature to fund their health care,” Stein said. “Teachers and law enforcement are still waiting for pay raises. We are all still waiting for real investments in public safety and mental health. The time for waiting is over. It is past time for the General Assembly to send me a fiscally responsible budget that invests in our people.”

Spokespeople for Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.