State assistance of another $227 million to western North Carolina in the recovery from Hurricane Helene is going forward, the veto override of a Senate bill completed Wednesday by the state House of Representatives.
Passed 63-46 in the chamber on Nov. 19, the House was 72-46 in favor of the override of Disaster Relief-3/Budget/Various Law Changes, also known as Senate Bill 382. The Senate completed its half of the overturn 30-19 on Dec. 2. State law requires three-fifths of the vote for a successful override.
Three weeks are left, but for all practical purposes, the final scorecard in the eight-year Gov. Roy Cooper era will likely land at 104 vetoes and a 52-for-52 overturn rate when Republicans held three-fifths majorities in each chamber. Thirteen override tries were made without the three-fifths majorities, and each failed.
House Speaker Tim Moore vowed his chamber would have the votes when it needed them. Republican Reps. Mike Clampitt of Swain County, Karl Gillespie of Macon County and Mark Pless of Haywood County – all from mountain counties – voted nay initially. All switched. There were no Republicans against, no Democrats for, and two Democrats had excused absences.
Litigation is possible; Cooper’s tenure has multiple times included going to court in fights with the Legislature. The 132-page bill includes 13 pages on Helene and the remainder on changes to authority of elected positions.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, a Thursday night, and soaked the North Carolina mountains as it dissipated. Some areas got more than 30 inches of rain. The recovery is in the 11th week, and in some areas projected to last more than half a decade.
Passage of a ballot referendum in 1995 enabled the governor to have veto power; North Carolina was the last state in the country to be granted ability to veto. The General Assembly can override with a three-fifths vote, meaning minimums of 30 in the Senate, 72 in the House.
For context, there were 35 vetoes before Cooper took office. There were 16 successful veto overrides before Cooper.
