CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As North Carolina lawmakers return to session in Raleigh next week, one of their top priorities will be overturning Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that would expand state spending on private school vouchers.
Meanwhile, Cooper argues the money should be redirected to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina. Cooper has said publicly that estimated damage from Helene sits around $53 billion, more than three times the damage caused by Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Cooper said Wednesday that the Republican-led House and Senate should allow his veto of the voucher bill to stand and use that money for hurricane relief in the western part of the state. Cooper has proposed that North Carolina spend close to $4 billion on relief aid, noting that the federal government and insurance companies were expected to cover some of that. So far, lawmakers have approved $877 million in aid, including a $604 million relief package Cooper signed into law while calling for more funding.
The governor said he would encourage western North Carolina leaders to pause their support of the private school voucher bill, arguing it will be difficult to find enough money to help with Helene relief. He also said his office has been excluded from hurricane recovery talks among members of the General Assembly.
"We haven't heard a lot about what they are going to do," Cooper said.
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