Yadkin Valley News

State Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said North Carolina has an extremely large unemployment reserve to weather a storm created by COVID-19.

The comments, posted to his Medium channel on March 17, came the same day when Gov. Roy Cooper announced an executive order that makes it easier to file for unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"At $3.8 billion, North Carolina has one of the largest unemployment reserves in the country," Berger said in the statement on Medium. "Reforms put in place years ago helped build that large balance to allow the state to adjust its benefits program in response to an economic downturn."

In the days following Cooper's executive order placing new restrictions on businesses and loosening unemployment filing requirements, North Carolina's unemployment claims increased by 270,000, according to the News & Observer's March 30 report.  

"Between federal unemployment assistance and any adjustments made to the well-funded state program, assistance will be in place for North Carolinians impacted by the economic fallout from efforts to contain the virus," Berger said.

The senate leader also noted the state's surplus will make it more manageable to adjust financially during this crisis. 

"What adjustments to the state program might be necessary will become clearer once we have more finality on what the federal program will look like," Berger said. "But we have a multi-billion surplus for times like this."

Since the onset of COVID-19, the state's positive cases have rapidly risen, according to data on the North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website. 

As of March 31, the health department reported 1,498 positive cases, along with eight fatalities. There are currently 157 individuals in hospitals because of the virus. 

Cooper said he wanted to call for a special session to address COVID-19 issues, ABC11 reported. 

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) formed the bipartisan House Select Committee on COVID-19, which will have four subgroups focusing on economic support, education, health care and the continuity of state operations.

"What folks need right now is immediate assistance when it comes to liquidity and getting dollars to folks who have needs who had budgeted but because of unforeseen circumstances now are running short," Moore told ABC11.