2018 Hurricane Florence Disaster Recovery Act (H3)

• Appropriates $398,430,477 from the Hurricane Florence Disaster Recovery Fund for fiscal year 2018-2019, funded through transfers from savings reserves ($700 million), education lottery reserves ($25 million), highway fund ($65 million), and other sources.

• Allocates disaster recovery funds to state agencies including Agriculture ($70 million), Public Safety ($100 million), Transportation ($65 million), Public Instruction ($60 million), and UNC Board of Governors ($33 million) for relief and recovery efforts.

• Establishes emergency scholarship grants up to $1,250 per eligible postsecondary student in disaster counties and creates the Hurricane Florence Agricultural Disaster Program providing financial assistance to farmers for crop, livestock, and poultry losses verified through USDA documentation.

• Creates the Office of Recovery and Resiliency in the Department of Public Safety with up to 30 new positions to coordinate multi-year recovery projects, administer federal disaster grants, and provide quarterly reports to the General Assembly on fund expenditures.

• Implements various relief measures including waived construction permit fees in disaster areas (through December 31, 2018), extended child care subsidy transition periods, temporary ferry fee suspension during emergencies, and floodplain building restrictions for homes receiving state disaster assistance.