Gov. Josh Stein delivered his first State of the State address before the N.C. General Assembly last week, identifying Hurricane Helene relief and investment in public education and community safety as major priorities for his first year in office.
The Chronicle reviewed Stein’s policy goals to see what progress has already been made and whether his proposals are likely to fare successfully.
Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene relief is at the forefront of Stein’s agenda for the state. The governor said Helene is “by far the costliest storm to ever hit North Carolina,” citing around $60 billion in overall damages.
Since taking office in January, Stein has already devoted significant attention to the issue — his first action as governor was to sign five executive orders waiving certain regulations and creating new offices to speed up the recovery effort.
During his March 12 address, Stein celebrated the progress North Carolina has already made. He referenced a partnership between his administration and the Dogwood Health Trust and Duke Endowment to award $35 million in grants to over 1,000 small businesses, as well as the N.C. Department of Transportation’s work to reopen over 1,300 roads in the state’s western region.
Stein urged the state legislature to pass an over-$500 million western North Carolina recovery bill, which was signed into law a week later. The law includes funding for local governments to rebuild their business districts and for private property owners to fix damages, as well as a campaign to bolster tourism. It does not include grants for small businesses as originally requested by Stein.
Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the Raleigh-based research think tank the John Locke Foundation, predicted further funding dedicated to Helene recovery, either in the form of another relief package or as a component of the state budget. However, he said it “remains to be seen” if the NCGA will approve the amount of relief funding Stein is advocating for.
In his address, Stein said he is working alongside the Trump administration and Congress to seek billions of dollars in additional funding for the state.
As the Trump administration continues to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is unclear how Stein’s plans may be affected. The president signed an executive order Tuesday assigning more disaster management responsibility to states and local governments, though it did not specify how new emergency preparedness investments would be funded.
Education
Stein proposed several measures to invest in N.C. schools, including raising teacher salaries, making community college free for certain “high-demand” sectors, cutting state funding for private school vouchers and investing $4 billion to make public schools “safer, healthier and more modern.”
During his speech, Stein set a goal of making “starting teacher salaries in North Carolina the highest in the Southeast.” Republicans in the state House of Representatives introduced a bill at the end of February that would increase salaries for the state’s public school teachers by 22% and raise starting pay to $50,000, which Kokai described as a “substantial jump.”
Despite its bipartisan support, the future of H.B. 192 remains uncertain. Kokai said the legislation will likely receive support in the state House but was less sure about its success in the state Senate.
Stein’s goal of eliminating school choice vouchers, which he projected would cost the state $7.5 billion over the next 10 years, may not be politically feasible. Kokai pointed to strong support for vouchers from Republican legislators, who hold majorities in both chambers of the NCGA, as a surefire obstacle to that plan, contending that it “isn’t going to happen.”
He qualified that if North Carolina sees a loss of federal funding, future increases in school voucher funding that have already been approved by the NCGA could be “scaled back” to account for cuts to other programs, such as Medicaid.
Kokai doubted that Stein’s proposed $4 billion bond for public school construction would pass. He explained that the NCGA tends to avoid financing legislation through debt, preferring to establish reserve funds in advance.
“Basically build up the funds, and then pay for things — don’t take out new debt that, in the future, limits your ability to spend on priority items or emergencies,” Kokai said of the state legislature’s approach.
Last week, Stein launched a bipartisan North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education. The task force is expected to provide recommendations to the Office of the Governor on how to increase funding for early childhood education, maximize the effectiveness of current investments and make quality child care and early education more accessible.
Public safety
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Stein aims to enhance public safety across the state in the coming year by investing in law enforcement. To address persistent staffing shortages, the governor proposed raises for current officers alongside bonuses for new hires.
Combating the opioid crisis has been an ongoing priority for Stein since his time as state attorney general. The N.C. Department of Justice reports a daily average of nine deaths from fentanyl overdoses in the state.
In his address, Stein called on the NCGA to fund a new “Fentanyl Control Unit” within the State Bureau of Investigation to “tackl[e] the scourges of opioid and fentanyl addiction.” In his budget proposal, which was released Wednesday, the governor asked for almost $1 million in annual funds to support the initiative.
Annie Eilers is a Trinity first-year and a staff reporter for the news department.