Disaster Relief Funds Not Being Used to Pay Legal Expenses | Eastern NC Now

The following statement was issued today by Bob Stephens, General Counsel for Governor Pat McCrory

ENCNow
Press Release:

    Raleigh, N.C.     The following statement was issued today by Bob Stephens, General Counsel for Governor Pat McCrory:

  • "Various media have reported that Governor McCrory's administration is using disaster relief funds, or will use disaster relief funds, to pay lawyers to challenge, in court, the federal overreach by the Obama administration on bathroom, locker room, and shower facility policies in North Carolina and to defend North Carolina's laws and policies regarding the use of these facilities.
  • "More than 20 other states have followed North Carolina's lead in filing lawsuits against the Obama administration on this issue.
  • "Due to the North Carolina Attorney General's repeated refusal to fulfill his statutory duty to represent the State in litigation, my office retained outside counsel to prosecute, and when necessary to defend, these lawsuits. However, contrary to media reports, we have not used any disaster relief funds to pay the legal expenses relating to these lawsuits.
  • "During the recent legislative short session, the General Assembly recognized that Attorney General Cooper's disregard for his job would impose costs on the state and authorized $500,000 to be used for litigation expenses out of the state's contingency and emergency fund. It is not uncommon for the fund to be used for this purpose.
  • "However, the governor did not ask the General Assembly to allocate the funds from this contingency and emergency fund and he did not sign into law the bill which did so. More importantly, under Governor McCrory no disaster relief money has been used to pay for legal expenses related to the bathroom lawsuits. Instead, available funds from agency and departmental budgets have been and will be used for this expense. The administration's fiscal prudence and sound management in the last four years allow the state to pay these costs without impacting our considerable savings for emergency situations.
  • "Governor McCrory has made the state's rainy day fund a key budgetary priority. He understands the importance of having disaster relief funds available in case they are needed. Under his leadership, the state has added more than $1.1 billion in savings to build up a nearly $1.6 billion reserve, the largest in North Carolina history. While the Attorney General's failure to act has imposed costs on the taxpayer, it will not be impacting our ability to respond to emergency situations."

  • Contact: Crystal Feldman
  •     govpress@nc.gov

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published )
Enter Your Comment ( text only please )




Putting the Second Amendment Militia Myth to Rest: It is an Individual Right Press Releases: Elected office holders, Op-Ed & Politics, Bloodless Warfare: Politics Jobless Rate Misses Full Story


HbAD0

Latest Bloodless Warfare: Politics

Tax Day is a week away, and the reports are in: North Carolinians are winning big with record-setting tax returns thanks to President Trump and Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts.
Change in schedule for executive committee meeting. Meeting Thursday April 9 is cancelled.
After years in the limelight for his combative style both with Democrats and his fellow Republicans, Crenshaw's future now unsure.
If he wins in November, Teixeira will be the all-time Congressional home run leader.
The county boards of elections in Guilford and Rockingham counties on Tuesday morning will begin a partial hand recount of ballots in randomly selected precincts in the N.C. Senate District 26 contest between candidates Phil Berger and Sam Page.
The 1926 Beaufort County Republican Convention will be held at the court house on Thursday April 6 at 6:00 PM. Be there by 5:30 in order to register. There is a 5 dollar fee.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger has requested a recount in the SD-28 Republican primary against challenger Sheriff Sam Page, after the race ended with one of the narrowest margins in recent North Carolina election history.
North Carolinians are feeling historic relief this tax season thanks to President Trump and Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts, as the average refund tops $3,700.
(RALEIGH) Today Governor Josh Stein and First Lady Anna Stein visited Green Magnet Elementary School and read to students in celebration of Read Across America Day.

HbAD1

In-person early voting for the 2026 primary election begins Thursday and ends at 3 p.m. February 28 in all 100 counties.
On occasion, the election season has a way of bringing forth much good fruit, which is often the case when hard working and intelligent agents of stability, through changing the dynamic of our societal path, join the political paradigm to help we, the self-governed, do far better for ourselves.
In Commissioner Deatherage's Campaign for Re-election, as your Conservative County Commissioner, Washington Mayor Pro Tem Nick Fritz endorsed Candidate Stan Deatherage to remain in office to lead a Conservative renaissance here in Beaufort County.
The Republican party has transformed in a number of ways over the past 20 years.
The Sheriff then stated he worked for the judicial branch. That was enough internet for me in one day. I could feel my brain shrinking.
The GDP numbers tell the story: President Trump's economic agenda is delivering real results for North Carolinians.
This week marks the start of tax season - and thanks to President Trump and Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, North Carolinians are keeping more of what they earn.

HbAD2

Conservative club meets Thursday January 29 at 6:00 PM at King Chicken Restaurant. This is our second meeting this month.
The Thursday, January 8th meeting of the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee ended after Washington City police were called to the Beaufort County Ag Center at the request of Committee Chair Carolyn Garris.
A federal judge will not issue an injunction blocking local Watauga County election districts created by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly.
The State Board of Elections will hold a remote meeting via WebEx at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments over allowing states to ban biological males from competing in women's sports.
The Republican queen Garris has issued an edict last night declaring me along with Sheri Clark and Janet Knight to have tripped the switch to have automatically resigned from the Beaufort County Republican executive committee.
The company's mortgages cost $4,600 more than competitors' on average.
For the first time in state history, registered Republicans now outnumber registered Democrats in North Carolina, according to the most recent voter registration snapshot based on data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

HbAD3

 
 
Back to Top