NC House passes $1.7B coronavirus relief bill

Next step: Negotiations with the Senate, which passed its own bill Wednesday.

Posted 5:21 p.m. Apr 30, 2020 — Updated 2:16 a.m. May 1, 2020

Travis Fain

, WRAL statehouse reporter, & Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

RALEIGH, N.C. — The state House passed a roughly $1.7 billion COVID-19 relief bill on a nearly unanimous vote Thursday, setting the stage for negotiations with the Senate, which passed its own bill Wednesday night.

There are substantial differences between the bills both on policy and at the bottom lines on money, but lawmakers have said they expect to reach agreement quickly and send a final bill to Gov. Roy Cooper, who prefers the House version.

House Speaker Tim Moore said the two chambers' appropriations chairs would handle negotiations, starting Thursday afternoon, and hopefully finishing in time for Friday votes.

Thursday night update: House leaders said around 10 p.m. Thursday to expect final bill votes Saturday. "Agreement on money, but provisions up next," state Rep. Chuck McGrady, a House Appropriations chair, Tweeted. "Vote on Saturday."

"Really, if you look at the areas that were spent, more things were similar than were different – far and away. So, I think we’ll be able to get there," said Moore, R-Cleveland.

House Republicans and Democrats alike said their phones have been ringing nonstop with constituents looking for help with jobs, rent or even food.

"Folks are looking for answers, folks are looking for relief, and I think what we have here in this bill is a good start," said Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus.

Both chambers backed various extensions and policy tweaks, including a plethora of changes for K-12 schools, delays on tax due dates and extensions on driver's license and vehicle registration deadlines. There are also bridge loans in both packages for small businesses and funding for hospitals and state university research, though the amounts vary substantially.

"We do not need any of our rural hospitals to close in this state. More needs to be done, and we’ll be looking at that in the next phase," said Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth and a key budget negotiator.

Leaders in both chambers have said this is just phase 1, and that they expect more legislation in the coming months. Moore said lawmakers may return in as little as two weeks, though a more long-term debate on the regular state budget would likely wait for July.

The House bill includes language that would let restaurants sell up to two mixed drinks with takeout and delivery orders to boost revenues at struggling restaurants. Some conservatives complained about the measure's insertion, but no amendments were allowed on the House floor Thursday to the nearly 100-page, wide-ranging, bill, pressuring them to swallow those concerns.

The mixed-drink language is not in the Senate version but may remain in final language.

The House vote Thursday was 117-1, with the lone vote against coming from Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven.

In a move dictated by social distancing and to protect some older House members, numerous lawmakers were allowed to cast their votes remotely, sending their proxies to House Majority Leader John Bell and House Minority Leader Darren Jackson during the vote.

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