House Bill 149 To Bring Storm Assistance
The Swain County Commissioners and Swain County Board of Education are scheduled for a joint meeting Tuesday at the SwainCounty Administration building. North Carolina House district 119 Representative Mike Clampitt will review House Bill 149 which was signed into law on Thursday by governor cooper. The legislation includes 273 million dollars to be transferred from the savings reserve to the Helene fund. of the total 250 million dollars will go to the department of public safety and the division of emergency management to match the federal disaster assistance programs for state agencies and units of local governments also, sixteen million dollars will go to the department of public instruction to compensate school nutrition workers for time lost due to school closures due to the hurricane, also two million dollars for the office of state budget and management to assist local councils of government with technical assistance in applying for the funds. The bill also provides for local school boards to count up to 20 days of school as complete and to compensate staff accordingly. The local board also has the option to makeup the missed days of instruction if they choose. These options only apply to state funds and public schools. the legislation also has five million dollars for local boards of elections who need to open new polling places to replace those lost due to the hurricane. Two such votng places are in canton and clyde. also funds are provided for technical assistance, printing, temporary staff and mobile voting units, training, equipoment leases and supplies. There are also components for water and sewer mitigatioin and remediation, debris burning permits, small business loans connected to the golden leaf, waivers and expedited approvals transportation and infrastructure repairs and numerous other administrative and fee waivers for nursing homes and other agencies. The meeting will commence tuesday at 5:30 at the administrative building on main street in bryson city.