(Raleigh, N.C.) – State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, called on Gov. Roy Cooper to allow Executive Order 206 to expire on June 30. The order was originally issued in October 2020 and most recently extended in March of this year. It is based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national moratorium issued last fall. Treasurer Folwell supported the original order but did not support the three extensions and asks that the executive order be allowed to expire at the end of the month.
“As a member of the Council of State (COS), I don’t pretend to be a subject matter expert on contractual relationships, remedies under the law or the success or ineffectiveness of the North Carolina Hope Program,” Treasurer Folwell said. “However, this policy is reducing opportunities for citizens to rent because landlords don’t want to take the risk that they won’t get paid. What was originally an act of COVID, now exists solely as an act of the state and no longer advances any public purpose. It is potentially lowering rental housing inventory.”
As a child of a single mother, Treasurer Folwell’s family struggled financially when he was growing up, having to rent and never receiving any assistance. They were never able to navigate complex assistance programs or understand the difference between rent deferral and rent forgiveness.
However, their landlord gave his family the “benefit of the doubt,” working with them so they could continue to have shelter. Treasurer Folwell notes that “there are hundreds of thousands of these relationships across North Carolina.”
“Just like with the ultimate expiration of Executive Order 142 regarding utility payments, it’s time that the power be pushed back to the landlords and renters who have compassionately and procedurally dealt with issues like this for decades,” Treasurer Folwell said.
He added that because the voting process of the COS is not transparent there is no simple way of determining who has voted to concur or not. He went on to encourage all members of the COS, including Governor Cooper, to let Executive Order 206 to expire next week.