RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein spoke to a joint session of the North Carolina General Assembly Wednesday night, urging lawmakers to focus on bipartisan goals.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were widely supportive of the Democratic governor’s agenda Wednesday evening, with clapping loudly punctuating his address — a stark contrast to the division and protests on display during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union last week.
“While we may have strong disagreements with Governor Stein on important issues, Republicans understand that real leaders don’t need to shout down the opposition, and that real leadership means being willing to listen even where we may disagree,” said Speaker of the House Destin Hall, a Republican.
In his first address to the body, newly elected governor spoke about ongoing recovery efforts in western North Carolina from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene.
The state has come a long way since the storm hit last September, reopening more than 1,300 roads and removing more than 5 million cubic yards of debris. However, estimated damages are nearly $60 billion and lawmakers have been pushing to advance additional support.
“They need our help. People need to get back in their homes. Roads and bridges need to be fixed. Businesses need to keep their doors open and their workers employed. And communities need clean drinking water,” said Stein, who said he was working with President Donald Trump and the state’s congressional representatives to seek billions more in federal funds.
State legislators have emphasized that supporting the recovering areas is a priority this session, but a measure to release more funding stalled earlier this week after a proposal drafted by the House and passed by the Senate was paused while lawmakers worked to come to an agreement on technical corrections and disputes over agricultural issues.
Stein urged them to overcome their differences and pass the bill because residents needed the money “yesterday,” and to fund grants for small businesses, in addition to measures introduced to provide grants to farmers whose livelihoods were heavily hit by the storm.
“Western North Carolina’s small businesses aren’t looking for a hand out. They just need a hand up so they can get back on their feet,” Stein said.
Stein also asked the General Assembly to raise starting salaries for public school teachers and proposed putting a $4 billion bond to finance school safety and building upgrades on the ballot.
Democrats and Republicans alike have made it clear that improving schooling is a priority, but Republicans primarily see a path forwards through making private schools more affordable and have poured hundreds of millions into offsetting the cost on families through a voucher program, while Democrats have pushed for additional funding to public schools, especially in rural areas.
Hall said education funding is a priority in the Republican response to Stein’s speech, during which he also emphasized his Republican colleagues’ commitment to tackling crime and eliminating sanctuary cities. He also attributed the state’s economic success to the impact of Republican leadership.
“Republicans in the General Assembly are focused on building our economy, rebuilding western North Carolina, investing in education and working with ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from our state,” he said.
Hall said the legislature plans to invest in meaningful teacher raises and focus on secure borders, school choice, tax cuts and “common sense” policies. In a departure from tradition, his response was live, rather than pre-recorded.
Relief funding is a “top priority” for lawmakers, he said.
“We’re going to continue to support western North Carolina for as long as it takes to rebuild, and together we will rebuild stronger than before,” Hall said.
Stein called on lawmakers to avoid partisan divides while working on common goals, telling them not to get pulled into “political games.”
“What we’ve been talking about tonight, they are not red issues or blue issues, they are North Carolina issues,” said Stein. “Of course, on some of them, we may differ about how best to get there. That’s fine. That’s the democratic process. But I am certain that if we come together across our differences, we can find common ground and make progress.”