Leaders of the North Carolina executive branch are now pushed to find new ways to implement policies for the state. Both former Gov. Roy Cooper and current Gov. Josh Stein have faced pushback from Republican lawmakers.
With 2024 coming to a close and the new year beginning, Gov. Cooper has left the office and Gov. Stein has taken his place. However, the transition was different for Stein as he had to face the consequences of a new bill upon entering office.
Cooper first received the bill before leaving office. This bill is Senate Bill 382, entitled, “Disaster Relief-3/Budget/Various Law Changes.” Contained in the bill is the intention to limit the powers of executive officers, including the Governor position now held by Stein. The bill also aims to limit the powers of the Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor. Cooper vetoed the bill on Nov. 26, however, it was ultimately overridden by the Republican-majority legislature on Dec. 11.
The hurricane relief in SB 382 is written to provide $227 million from the Savings Reserve to a new ‘Helene Fund’ intended to provide funding for disaster relief. However, as mentioned in the bill, “The funds shall remain unspent until appropriated by an act of the General Assembly.”
Cooper expressed his disagreement with the bill saying, “This legislation is a sham. It does not send money to Western North Carolina but merely shuffles money from one fund to another in Raleigh.”
The bill, now law, lacks key provisions that would make significant changes to the lives of those in Western North Carolina. The bill does not specify a specific form of housing assistance, rental assistance or eviction prevention for victims. It also does not outline plans to implement recovery programs.
Under Senate Bill 382, the Governor’s ability to appoint people to the State Board of Elections and County Board of Elections is now the responsibility of the State Auditor. Judicial appointments are also affected. Two elected Supreme Court judges will be removed and the Governor is now limited in who he can select to fill Judicial positions.
“Finally, it plays politics by taking away two judges elected by the people and adding two judges appointed by the legislature, taking away authority from the Lieutenant Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction and more,” says Cooper.
It gives Republican officials more power and an advantage when it comes to making big decisions. Power is not only stripped from politicians, but also from the people.
Regarding mail-in ballots for elections, ballots have to be requested by the second Tuesday before the election. All ballots have to be completely counted within three days after Election Day. The time for fixing any ballot mistakes is also limited to three days after Election Day.
These changes could have a significant impact on future elections. The new time constraints for counts increase the possibility of inaccuracy and more unintentional errors. While constraints on fixing ballots could lead to many citizens losing their vote if not done in time. The next election could come with even more difficulty for those wanting to cast a ballot.
Cooper and Stein united to file a lawsuit against Republican legislators over the new law, hoping to secure executive duties. The two argue that it is unconstitutional and limits the separation of powers. The lawsuit was initiated specifically due to the part of the bill that brings changes to the State Highway Patrol.
The State Highway Patrol has now become independent and no longer functions under the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Stein is now unable to appoint or remove the Commander of the State Highway Patrol, even if criminal activity were to arise. The Commander will continue to serve and will only face removal in the event of incapacity or death.
The lawsuit states, “The legislatively-appointed commander may feel empowered to delay, modify or flatly reject the direction that he receives from the governor, since he is legislatively mandated to serve until at least July 1, 2030.”
Despite these new limits to his power, newly elected Gov. Stein has signed five executive orders to address Hurricane Helene, which struck Western North Carolina in late September 2024.
Hurricane Helene replaced Hurricane Florence to claim the title of North Carolina’s deadliest hurricane in history, damaging over 70,000 homes, causing nearly $53 billion in damages, according to a report by Gov. Cooper.
There were 104 confirmed reported deaths related to Hurricane Helene and there is still a lot of work needed to repair the damage it caused.
Gov. Stein’s five executive orders are meant to combat the long-term impacts of the hurricane. They are: ‘Increasing Temporary Housing Supply in Western NC’, ‘Repairing Roads and Bridges’, ‘Reorganizing Executive Branch to Meet Needs of Western NC’, ‘Establishing Advisory Committee on Western NC Recovery’ and ‘OSHR Exceptions – Helene Relief’.
The first two executive orders focus on supplying people with more temporary housing and providing more funds for repairing damaged roads.
Executive order three creates the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) and is tasked with developing recovery plans and providing updates on their progress.
Executive order four creates a committee that advises the Governor on community needs and secures relief funding from the North Carolina General Assembly.
The last executive order ‘OSHR Exceptions – Helene Relief’ increases the amount of community service leave that state employees now receive through the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR). Instead of the traditional 24 hours, employees also get an additional 16 hours of paid leave in order to bring in more volunteers to aid in the recovery.
Stein makes it known that Hurricane recovery is a top priority of his and will continue to be a priority regardless of the amount of time it takes.
Stein, in his inaugural address on Jan. 11, 2025, said, “Today we must overcome the unprecedented storm that ravaged our state and the everyday struggles that impact our neighbors.”
While addressing the General Assembly, Stein acknowledged the need for bipartisanship particularly during this time.
“We have real problems to solve, and we do not have time to settle petty political scores or fight divisive culture wars, I want to stand with you as we fight for our people, not with each other,” he said. Finding common ground with the Republican majority that satisfies both parties allows for less pushback and a greater chance at success.
