Under the Dome: State officials relax code requirements for Helene housing
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Emily Vespa.
State officials relaxed temporary housing standards for Hurricane Helene survivors on Wednesday after critics for weeks voiced concerns that rigid building code requirements were an unreasonable burden.
Local agencies are overwhelmed with recovery efforts, which makes inspecting every temporary shelter “an impossible task,” State Fire Marshal Bryan Taylor said in a statement Thursday. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency is behind schedule on delivering temporary housing units while winter deepens.
In response, the state building code council passed an emergency rule that allows temporary structures to bypass typical permit and inspection requirements. Instead, property owners must sign an affidavit to confirm their housing meets minimum safety standards and release state and local government from liability for its use.
The state building code has been the subject of mounting frustration — and, at times, misinformation — as storm-battered counties in Western North Carolina grapple with a housing crisis in Helene’s wake.
Wide-ranging legislation that lawmakers passed over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto Wednesday authorizes the state fire marshal’s office to make emergency rules for temporary shelters in disaster areas.
The measure allows the office to respond to disaster recovery needs while the state building code council is reorganized in the new year, said David Rittlinger, division chief of codes and interpretations in the state fire marshal’s office.
Previously, the governor appointed all members of the council, but a new law passed over Cooper’s veto in September gives some of those appointment powers to the legislature next month.
BIDEN NOMINEE FROM NC WITHDRAWN
North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park withdrew his name for consideration to replace Judge James Wynn on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals bench Thursday, according to the White House.
The move came after a series of contentious hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee where Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, Republicans from North Carolina, attempted to prevent President Joe Biden’s nomination of Park from going forward. claiming Park was an activist. Despite the senators’ pleas, and Tillis threatening “consequences” if his colleagues on the judiciary committee approved of Biden’s pick, Park’s nomination went forward to the Senate floor.
But just before Thanksgiving, Senate Democrats made a late-night deal with Republicans to throw out Biden’s four appellate nominees, if Republicans would stop making the rest of the judicial appointments difficult for Democrats. That included Park.
Park’s withdrawal Thursday gave Tillis and Budd the final confirmation that Park wouldn’t be approved.
AUDIT FINDS IMPROPER OVERSIGHT OF FLORENCE RECOVERY FUNDS
The state agency with oversight of Hurricane Florence recovery funds failed to ensure money was spent properly and achieved intended results, a state audit released Thursday found.
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reports that state lawmakers allocated roughly $942 million to disaster recovery after Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina in 2018. The Department of Public Safety was tasked with disbursing the funds to state agencies, monitoring how it was spent and reporting results.
Between February 2021 and December 2023, DPS distributed $18 million in Florence recovery funds without sufficient guardrails to make sure it was spent correctly, the audit says. It also found that in the same time period, DPS distributed $94 million without making sure recipients had a method to measure the results.
The state’s disaster recovery spending has previously come under scrutiny. A 2022 state audit found that DPS failed to ensure $502 million in Florence recovery funds distributed to agencies were spent properly between November 2018 and January 2021. DPS distributed $783 million in the same time period without making sure agencies had a method to measure results, the audit found.
And the top official at the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, Laura Hogshead, last month told lawmakers that the agency owes $37 million to contractors who rebuilt homes for survivors of hurricanes Florence and Matthew due to accounting errors. Hogshead is no longer at the agency.
ROSS LEADS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO PREVENT ABUSE IN SPORTS
North Carolina’s U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross and a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week introduced a bill aimed at reforming the national organization that investigates abuse and misconduct in sports.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport was authorized by Congress in 2017. Ross, a Democrat, said SafeSport was created with good intentions, but it needs stronger guardrails to prevent abusers from slipping through the cracks.
“No athlete on or off the field should feel subjected to abuse, harassment or violence,” Ross said at a news briefing. “The Safer Sports for Athletes Act has the power to reform the toxic culture of sports that has left abusers unpunished and countless individuals with lifelong trauma and obstacles to overcome.”
The legislation would create a timeline for the center’s investigation process, which can take years. After players under former NC Courage women’s soccer coach Paul Riley in 2021 accused him of sexual misconduct while he coached the Portland Thorns, SafeSport’s investigation dragged on for almost three years, said Mana Shim, a former Thorns player.
“Too many other survivors have also been left waiting for years for SafeSport to investigate or had their cases closed without action,” Shim said.
Ross said the bill, which would also revise SafeSport’s training guidelines and impose more transparency requirements, has “strong bipartisan interest” in the Senate. With little time before Congress adjourns for the year, Ross said she’s confident the bill will move forward in the next session.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
In 2018, lawmakers passed legislation that made campaign finance investigations secret. Critics say it limits public accountability, reports Dan Kane.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
North Carolina’s college students seem more likely to have their provisional ballot thrown out than other voters in the 2024 election, reports The Assembly, citing Duke University researchers. The researchers also found that provisional ballots cast at some campuses were disqualified at a higher rate than others, the outlet reported.
Today’s newsletter was by Emily Vespa and Danielle Battaglia. The daily Under the Dome newsletter will take a break starting next week, but we’ll still bring you a Sunday newsletter. Have a great holiday season, and check your inbox in January for more #ncpol.
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