North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed bills on Tuesday that aim to ease overcrowding at the Division of Motor Vehicles and, separately, provide aid for victims of two recent major natural disasters.
Stein announced the moves in a statement, saying he had signed Senate Bill 245 and House Bill 358, and is allowing House Bill 926 to become law without his signature. Here’s what the legislation does.
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Driver’s license renewal. Senate Bill 245 allows North Carolinians to renew their driver’s license online more frequently and eases a law allowing new drivers to document their driving practice hours and submit logs to the state. It will also allow teen drivers to soon be able to upgrade from a Level 2 Limited Provisional License to a Level 3 Full Provisional License online. The bipartisan legislation comes in response to complaints that DMV offices across the state are overcrowded, leading to long wait times for service.
“This law will enable more people to renew their drivers license online, helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It will also strengthen the state’s ability to protect against cyber threats,” Stein said in a statement.
Funding for Chantal, Helene, economic development. House Bill 358 provides $65 million for disaster relief — mostly for Hurricane Helene but also $15 million for Tropical Storm Chantal, which flooded Chapel Hill, Saxapahaw and other parts of central North Carolina in early July.
Separate from the disaster relief funding, the law provides $35 million for public infrastructure improvements around Raleigh’s Lenovo Center, home of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes and N.C. State University’s men’s basketball team. The Hurricanes are set to begin the first phase of a large-scale development around the arena to include parking structures, a new music venue and other retail spaces this winter.
It also provides millions of dollars for other economic investment projects, including $1.5 million to the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority to expand nonstop flights to Dublin, days after the airport announced Aer Lingus would start offering nonstop flights between Raleigh and Dublin.
“This law makes helpful investments across the state. Tropical Storm Chantal destroyed infrastructure and left debris throughout central North Carolina, and this bill provides necessary state funding to draw down even more federal resources to support recovery,” Stein said in his statement.
Zoning, water quality. Stein also announced that he is allowing House Bill 926 to go into law without his signature. The bill, which many Democrats opposed, weakens the power of local governments to enforce their own rules on local businesses or landowners.
One change would block local governments in Orange, Watauga and Buncombe counties from enforcing regulations on any project run by the UNC System. That change comes as UNC-Chapel Hill seeks to make a new push for developing its Chapel Hill North campus, and as UNC-Asheville has recently won permission to work with private partners to build a new development with a soccer stadium, apartments, shopping and more.
It also rolls back other various environmental and building regulations.
”The bill includes a handful of common-sense regulatory reforms, and I appreciate the legislature’s engagement with state agencies on a number of the provisions,” Stein wrote in explaining his action on the bill. “However, I remain concerned about provisions that negatively impact water quality.”