GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 3
HOUSE BILL 251
Committee Substitute Favorable 3/18/25
Third Edition Engrossed 4/1/25
Short Title: Disaster Response Funding/Nondiscrimination. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 3, 2025
*H251 -v-3*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROHIBIT D ISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF POLITICAL 2
AFFILIATION IN THE P ROVISION OF STATE DI SASTER RECOVERY 3
ASSISTANCE. 4
Whereas, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 5
controls and manages the distribution of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster 6
Recovery (CDBG-DR) awards authorized by the United States Congress; and 7
Whereas, the State of North Carolina does not have direct control over how 8
CDBG-DR funds and other federal financial and operational assistance program funds are 9
awarded to qualifying individuals and businesses; and 10
Whereas, the State of North Carolina, through the North Carolina General Assembly, 11
does have control over how State disaster recovery programs, including financial, operational, 12
and housing assistance, are distributed to its residents; and 13
Whereas, Section 19 of Article I of the North Carolina Constitution guarantees that 14
"[n]o person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be subjected 15
to discrimination by the State because of race, color, religion, or national origin."; and 16
Whereas, the State of Florida has filed a complaint against the Federal Emergency 17
Management Agency in the Southern District of Florida alleging an actionable conspiracy to 18
interfere with civil rights through 42 U.S.C. § 1985, which allows for those who have been denied 19
equal protection, privileges, or immunities under the law to sue those who engaged in conspiracy 20
against them, on the basis of political affiliation; Now, therefore, 21
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 22
SECTION 2. Article 1A of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes is amended by 23
adding a new section to read: 24
"§ 166A-19.4. Nondiscrimination in State disaster recovery assistance. 25
(a) No United States citizen, United States national, or qualified alien as defined in 8 26
U.S.C. § 1641 shall be denied or discriminated against by the State or its agencies and employees 27
for disaster recovery assistance on the basis of political affiliation or political speech. 28
(b) Any person who knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a Class I felony." 29
SECTION 3. G.S. 166A-19.41 reads as rewritten: 30
"§ 166A-19.41. State emergency assistance funds. 31
(a) Governor May Make Funds Available for Emergency Assistance. – In the event of a 32
gubernatorially or legislatively declared state of emergency, the Governor may make State funds 33
available for emergency assistance as authorized by this section. Any State funds made available 34
by the Governor for emergency assistance may be administered through State emergency 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 251-Third Edition
assistance programs which may be established by the Governor upon the declaration of a state of 1
emergency. It is the intent of the General Assembly in authorizing the Governor to make State 2
funds available for emergency assistance and in authorizing the Governor to establish State 3
emergency assistance programs to provide State assistance for recovery from those emergencies 4
for which federal assistance under the Stafford Act is either not available or does not adequately 5
meet the needs of the citizens of the State in the emergency area. 6
… 7
(e) Any State emergency assistance in the form of grants must be administered free from 8
discrimination. No applicant for any State emergency assistance in the form of grants made 9
available pursuant to this section shall be required to provide any personal demographic 10
information unless that information is necessary to award the grant or is otherwise required by 11
State or federal law." 12
SECTION 4. Section 2 of this act becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies 13
to offenses committed on or after that date. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes 14
law. 15