'Well over a million dollars' in cleaning, other pandemic costs at General Assembly

The disclosure came Wednesday in a letter responding to Senate Democrats, who had formally complained the day before about "lax working guidelines" at the legislature, which dropped a front-door temperature-check requirement as of Monday.

Legislative Services Officer Paul Coble, a former Raleigh mayor and Wake County commissioner, said in response that the building will reinstitute temperature checks next week, while the House and the Senate are in session. In that response, Coble also ticked off efforts to keep the building safe.

"Our continued efforts have resulted in well over a million dollars in added expenses to our budget, and we remain committed to our efforts," he wrote.

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The General Assembly also brought nurses in on contracts to staff the complex.

Many committees moved to online meetings, which generated costs, and the legislature purchased masks, gloves, sanitizer and other supplies for lawmakers and others who work in the General Assembly building and in a legislative office building nearby.

Coble said his office brought in electrostatic cleaners, which spray a mist of disinfectant.

"While many of the safety measures employed are not obvious to a casual observer, they are very effective," he wrote in his letter.