RALEIGH, N.C. >> North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled their initial attempt this year to boost recovery funding for Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding, proposing new spending that totals less than half of what new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein requested this week.

A House committee reviewed but did not vote on the $500 million spending proposal, which would include money for some of the programs Stein sought funding for in his request Monday for $1.07 billion in new recovery spending.

Last fall, the state legislature appropriated well over $900 million for relief and rebuilding efforts. A couple of hundred million additional dollars previously earmarked for Helene relief purposes would help pay for the packages from Stein and House Republicans.

GOP legislative leaders and Stein have made enacting a funding bill early in the General Assembly session — rather than waiting until the traditional state government budget that takes effect July 1 gets negotiated — a top priority. Stein and lawmakers expect to seek more recovery funds later this year.

“We know that no matter what appropriation we’re able to do, it’s never going to be enough,” Rep. John Bell of Wayne County, a co-chair of the House Helene recovery committee, told colleagues. “But this is a starting point, with multiple bills after this to follow.”

The competing proposals both include $150 million to kickstart a home reconstruction and repair program in the mountains while they await federal funds for the same purpose to aririve. And they both contain money — albeit in differing amounts and portions — to help farmers and to rebuild private roads and bridges.

North Carolina state officials reported over 100 deaths from Helene with 74,000 homes and thousands of miles in both state-maintained and private roads damaged. State officials projected the late September storm caused a record $59.6 billion in damages and recovery needs. Congressional legislation approved in December and other federal actions are projected to provide over $15 billion to North Carolina for rebuilding.

Bell said that the $500 million figure could rise as Senate counterparts get involved in negotiations later. But he said the House would act strategically to maximize federal matching funds and to ensure the state doesn’t repeat errors from previous hurricane recovery efforts.

Bell and others have cited issues with the program developed in the preceding administration of Gov. Roy Cooper to rebuild homes after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. The program still needs $217 million to finish construction on more than 1,100 eastern North Carolina homes.