GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 232
Short Title: Funds/Short-Line Railroad Disaster Assistance. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Pless and Clampitt (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
February 27, 2025
*H232 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO APPROPRIAT E FUNDS FOR THE REPAIR AND RECONSTRUCTIO N OF 2
SHORT-LINE RAILROADS IMPACTED BY HURRICANE HELENE. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) The State Controller shall transfer the sum of sixteen million three 5
hundred ninety-two thousand one hundred seventy-six dollars ($16,392,176) in nonrecurring 6
funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year from funds available in the State Emergency Response and 7
Disaster Relief Reserve to the Department of Transportation's Rail Division (Division) for the 8
Freight Rail & Rail Safety Improvement Fund (Rail Fund) established by G.S. 124-5.1, and those 9
funds are appropriated from the Rail Fund for the purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this 10
section. 11
SECTION 1.(b) The Division shall use the funds transferred and appropriated 12
pursuant to this section to provide grants for recovery and repair of the following short-line 13
railroads damaged by Hurricane Helene: 14
(1) Fourteen million dollars ($14,000,000) to the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, 15
LLC, for line restoration. 16
(2) Two million three hundred ninety-two thousand one hundred seventy-six 17
dollars ($2,392,176) for track rehabilitation, facility repairs, and revenue loss 18
to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, LLC. 19
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 20