AN ACT to establish a tropical storm chantal mitigation fund and appropriate funds for that purpose.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Tropical Storm Chantal Mitigation Fund. – The Tropical Storm Chantal Mitigation Fund (Fund) is established within the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (NCEM). The Fund shall be maintained as a special fund within NCEM. NCEM may use up to four percent (4%) of the funds for administration purposes. The purpose of the Fund is to provide mitigation buyouts, relocations, rehabilitations, reconstructions, for eligible homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Chantal within the affected area. Funds shall be distributed within the affected area on a per capita basis, as determined by NCEM, to ensure equitable distribution of aid to all affected persons within the affected area. No person shall receive more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in assistance under this Program. For the purposes of the Fund, the term affected area contains Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Moore, Orange, and Person Counties.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated twenty‑five million dollars ($25,000,000) from the General Fund to NCEM for the Tropical Storm Chantal Mitigation Fund enacted in Section 1 of this act. Unused funds shall revert to the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund on June 30, 2028.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2026.