RALEIGH, N.C. – A new video released today by the office of Senator Thom Tillis highlights the stories of North Carolinians still trying to get their lives back to normal nearly three years after Hurricane Matthew caused historic flooding damage. The video shows the consequences of the state administration's failure to distribute CDBG-DR federal assistance to communities in a timely manner, funds that were originally secured through swift bipartisan action by Senator Tillis and the state's Congressional delegation.
The state administration has only allocated 7% of the $236 million in CDBG-DR funds despite having possession of the federal assistance for more than 500 days.
In the video, Senator Tillis also previews new legislation he will be introducing that directly addresses the state administration's unacceptably slow pace of distributing assistance to local communities.
Tillis' legislation will set benchmarks for states to meet when it comes to allocating CDBG-DR assistance to communities, and when it fails to meet those benchmarks and gets consistently labeled a "slow spender," as North Carolina has, cities and counties will be able to request that the federal government allocate the assistance directly to their communities.
Tillis' legislation also lays the groundwork to overhaul the "buyout" process for Americans who have their homes destroyed by natural disasters. The legislation directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the buyout process and produce recommendations to reform the program and ensure assistance reaches families sooner.
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