Gov. Cooper signs two COVID-19 relief bills into law
Gov. Roy Cooper signed two relief bills into law on Monday, May 4, that will provide assistance to the state as it deals with COVID-19.
The two bills, House Bill 1043 and Senate Bill 704, include almost $1.6 billion in relief measures related to public health and safety, education, small business assistance and state government operations.
“I am signing into law two critical relief bills that will provide assistance to families, schools, hospitals and small businesses as our state battles COVID-19,” said Cooper. “There is more work ahead of us, and I hope the spirit of consensus behind these bills will continue.”
The North Carolina General Assembly passed the two bills on Saturday.
HB 1043 allocates the federal funding North Carolina received from the CARES Act and includes millions of dollars in funding for research, testing, personal protective equipment, small business loans, food banks, and education support. The bill includes:
$50 million to provide personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies
$25 million to support enhanced COVID-19 testing and tracing
$125 million in small business loans administered through the Golden LEAF Foundation
$50 million in health support for underserved communities including rural areas and minority communities
$95 million to support North Carolina hospitals
$20 million to support local health departments and the State Health Lab
$75 million for school nutrition programs
$70 million for summer learning programs
$30 million for local schools to purchase computers and other devices for students
$6 million for food banks
$9 million for rural broadband
$85 million for vaccine development, antibody testing, community testing, and other COVID-19-related research at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Campbell University, and Wake Forest University.
SB 704 included policy provisions to help North Carolinians. These provisions include:
An extension of driver’s license and registration expiration deadlines
Waived interest on tax payments normally due in April
Modifies end-of-grade testing requirements for public schools
Adjusts the 2020-21 K-12 public school calendar
End-of-grade testing will be waived for the school year, which Cooper has previously stated will be finished through remote learning. The bill also indicates that public schools will start on Aug. 17 for the 2020-21 school year, a week earlier than previously planned.
While not all proposed policies ended up in the versions of the bills passed, they were passed unanimously in the General Assembly. Cooper signed the bills into law during a press conference Monday morning and was accompanied by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore, Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue and House Minority Leader Darren Jackson, all of whom praised the cooperative nature of the legislation.
“The General Assembly crafted a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package that puts North Carolina on the right path to recovery,” said Berger. “Governor Cooper’s signature on these bills sends a signal to our citizens that our state is moving past this crisis and that action is being taken to address their concerns.”
Moore said, “North Carolina is leading the nation’s recovery through bipartisan consensus for swift action to assist every community in our state affected by this pandemic. I appreciate the successful collaboration among our legislative colleagues and the Governor to provide this powerful support for North Carolinians.”
