Relief bill an insult to WNC
To the Editor:
I’m writing to thank Rep. Mike Clampitt, Rep. Karl Gillespie and Rep. Mark Pless for siding with the people of Western North Carolina in voting against Senate Bill (SB) 382.
This bill — also called the Hurricane Relief Bill — was passed on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and Wednesday, Nov. 20, by a majority of the House and Senate. While the bill has been branded a hurricane relief bill, it has very little to do with helping WNC’s hurricane relief efforts.
SB 382 fails to provide necessary relief to residents of the region, like rental assistance and small business grants to start long-term recovery and rebuilding. The two disaster packages before SB 382 provided less than 2% of the estimated $954 million for Helene recovery. Just $1 million was provided for rental assistance out of a $25 million need.
WNC deserves better than SB 382. Politicians shouldn’t play political games with our recovery. We need a bill supported by our representatives and our representatives should be consulted on such a bill and not told to get in line to vote for a bill that treats our communities like an afterthought.
I’d like to ask Reps. Clampitt, Gillespie and Pless to stand together and say no to this bill when the State House votes again this month to override Gov. Cooper’s veto. This bill doesn’t reflect our needs. We need a bill that prioritizes critical support like rental assistance, small business aid and homeowners’ relief. We need our WNC representatives to be courageous and put the people first by voting against SB 382 and boldly showing us that they will take a stand for what we really need.
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