H 954

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
  SESSION 2025
 H  1
  HOUSE BILL 954
 Short Title:   Local Gov'ts Disaster Fund.  (Public)
 Sponsors:      Representative Hawkins.
  For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
 Referred to:   Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  April 14, 2025
1A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO CREATE A FUND FOR RESILIENCY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR
3      LOCAL DISASTER RESPONSE.
4 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
5SECTION 1. Article 4 of Chapter 143C of the General Statutes is amended by adding
6 a new section to read:
7 "§ 143C-4-4.1. State Critical Infrastructure and Construction Resiliency Fund.
8      (a)     Purpose. – There is established a State Critical Infrastructure and Construction
9 Resiliency Fund within the General Fund and shall be administered by the Governor. This fund
10 shall contain funds appropriated from the General Assembly and diverted funds from units of
11 local government in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
12      (b)     Diversion of Funds. – Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of
13 Revenue shall reserve five percent (5%) of the highway use tax collected from a county each
14 year if that county was within an emergency area for a Type I, II, or III disaster as declared by
15 the Governor. Counties that have been included in an emergency area under a declared Type I,
16 II, or III disaster by the Governor in the previous three fiscal years shall be eligible counties to
17 deposit monies into the Fund.
18      (c)     Use of Funds. – The Governor shall be able to use the Fund to pay for new
19 construction and infrastructure within counties affected by a disaster and within the emergency
20 area of the Type I, II, or III disaster declaration for specific resiliency and disaster preparedness
21 purposes. The Governor may also use the Fund to pay for State and local disaster response
22 activities following a major disaster declaration by the President of the United States under the
23 Stafford Act (P.L. 93-288) in the area affected by the disaster."
24SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.
  *H954-v-1*