North Carolina HB 251: Various Disaster Recovery Reforms.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025

SESSION LAW 2025-18
HOUSE BILL 251

*H251-v-7*
AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS REFORMS RELATED TO DISASTER RESPONSE AND
RECOVERY.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

NONDISCRIMINATION IN STATE DISASTER RECOVERY ASSISTANCE
SECTION 1. The General Assembly makes the following findings:
(1) The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
controls and manages the distribution of the Community Development Block
Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) awards authorized by the United States
Congress.
(2) North Carolina does not have direct control over how CDBG-DR funds and
other federal financial and operational assistance program funds are awarded
to qualifying individuals and businesses.
(3) North Carolina, through the General Assembly, does have control over how
State disaster recovery programs, including financial, operational, and
housing assistance, are distributed to its residents.
(4) Section 19 of Article I of the North Carolina Constitution guarantees that "[n]o
person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person
be subjected to discrimination by the State because of race, color, religion, or
national origin."
(5) Florida has filed a complaint against the Federal Emergency Management
Agency in the Southern District of Florida alleging an actionable conspiracy
to interfere with civil rights through 42 U.S.C. § 1985, which allows for those
who have been denied equal protection, privileges, or immunities under the
law to sue those who engaged in conspiracy against them, on the basis of
political affiliation.
SECTION 2.(a) Article 1A of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes is amended by
adding a new section to read:
"§ 166A-19.4. Nondiscrimination in State disaster recovery assistance.
(a) No United States citizen, United States national, or qualified alien as defined in 8
U.S.C. § 1641 shall be denied or discriminated against by the State or its agencies and employees
for disaster recovery assistance on the basis of political affiliation or political speech.
(b) Any person who knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a Class I felony."
SECTION 2.(b) This section becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to
offenses committed on or after that date.
SECTION 3. G.S. 166A-19.41 reads as rewritten:
"§ 166A-19.41. State emergency assistance funds.
(a) Governor May Make Funds Available for Emergency Assistance. – In the event of a
gubernatorially or legislatively declared state of emergency, the Governor may make State funds
available for emergency assistance as authorized by this section. Any State funds made available
by the Governor for emergency assistance may be administered through State emergency

Page 2 Session Law 2025-18 House Bill 251
assistance programs which may be established by the Governor upon the declaration of a state of
emergency. It is the intent of the General Assembly in authorizing the Governor to make State
funds available for emergency assistance and in authorizing the Governor to establish State
emergency assistance programs to provide State assistance for recovery from those emergencies
for which federal assistance under the Stafford Act is either not available or does not adequately
meet the needs of the citizens of the State in the emergency area.
...
(e) Any State emergency assistance in the form of grants must be administered free from
discrimination. No applicant for any State emergency assistance in the form of grants made
available pursuant to this section shall be required to provide any personal demographic
information unless that information is necessary to award the grant or is otherwise required by
State or federal law."

THEFT OF TEMPORARY HOUSING DURING EMERGENCY
SECTION 4.(a) G.S. 14-288.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14-288.1. Definitions.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following definitions apply in this Article:
...
(3) Declared state of emergency. – A state of emergency as that term is defined
in G.S. 166A-19.3 or a state of emergency found and declared by any chief
executive official or acting chief executive official of any county or
municipality acting under the authority of any other applicable statute or
provision of the common law to preserve the public peace in a state of
emergency, or by any executive official or military commanding officer of the
United States or the State of North Carolina who becomes primarily
responsible under applicable law for the preservation of the public peace
within any part of North Carolina.
...
(4a) Emergency. – As defined in G.S. 166A-19.3.
(4b) Emergency area. – The geographical area covered by a declared state of
emergency.
...
(11) Temporary housing. – Any of the following:
a. A tent, trailer, mobile home, or any other structure being used for
human shelter which is designed to be transportable and is not
permanently attached to the ground, to another structure, or to any
utility system on the same premise