Governor Stein Leads Rural Listening Session in Sampson County

Today Governor Stein joined business leaders, local elected officials, and other leaders in Clinton for his second of a series of Rural Listening Sessions. The Governor and cabinet secretaries are embarking on this Rural Listening Tour to hear directly from rural North Carolinians about their concerns and priorities as his administration works to expand opportunity in every corner of the state.

"Rural communities are the backbone of North Carolina, and it's important that we hear directly from people across our state, including here in eastern North Carolina, about how state government can better serve them and their neighbors to help them succeed," said Governor Josh Stein. "These listening sessions help us focus our efforts and make smart investments in economic opportunity, infrastructure, education, and health care."

Governor Stein is committed to investing in rural North Carolina and in all 100 counties. To learn about the Stein administration's statewide commitment, visit 100strong.nc.gov.

Economic Development

In 2025, more than $12.5 billion in investment and nearly 5,000 jobs were brought to rural North Carolina. In January 2026, North Carolina was named the 2025 State of the Year by Business Facilities Magazine for its efforts to prepare industrial sites for development through the Selectsite Readiness Program. In 2025, rural communities across the state were also awarded more than $136 million through state rural grant programs to expand economic opportunity in these neighborhoods through housing and building revitalization, infrastructure upgrades, and business development. Earlier this year, Governor Stein visited Pitt County to learn how the town of Bethel is using $950,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to improve the town's housing and public spaces.

Infrastructure

Last month, Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced more than $472 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in 66 of North Carolina's 100 counties. These funds will help support healthy cities and towns by upgrading aging water infrastructure to better withstand storms and improve communities' drinking water systems. In December, Governor Stein also announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved North Carolina's proposal to bring more than $300 million in high-speed internet projects to homes and communities across the state, primarily in rural areas, through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

Education

Governor Stein is committed to building strong schools and supporting safe communities across North Carolina. One in six rural students live in poverty, and many rural districts face persistent challenges recruiting and retaining teachers, with some losing more than 20 percent of their teachers teachers in a single year. To address these challenges, the Governor's Critical Needs Budget raises starting teacher pay to the highest in the Southeast, helping schools attract and keep strong educators. Last month, Governor Stein highlighted additional investments during an NC Strong Update, including allocating discretionary funds to support NC Career Launch. This initiative connects public schools, community colleges, and employers to connect high school students to high-paying jobs in high-demand sectors.

Public Safety

Earlier this month, Governor Stein called on the General Assembly to pass a $1.4 billion Critical Needs Budget that addresses North Carolina's most urgent needs while lawmakers continue to work on a comprehensive state budget. The proposal includes $211 million to make public safety careers more competitive and ensure agencies have the personnel needed to keep all North Carolinians safe. Governor Stein continues to press the General Assembly to act on his $195 million public safety proposal, which allocates funding to address law enforcement staffing shortages through pay increases and recruitment and retention bonuses. The North Carolina Department of Justice, led by then-Attorney General Josh Stein, led the national effort to negotiate more than $50 billion in national opioid settlements with companies engaged in the manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing of opioids. In January, Governor Stein visited Clay County to see how local officials are using the settlements funds to address local needs related to addiction treatment, reentry, and recovery support services.

Health Care

In December, Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) secured $213 million from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through the Rural Health Transformation Program to improve health care access for rural communities. These funds will support more than 400 rural health care facilities and invest in strengthening the rural health care workforce. In January, Governor Stein led a roundtable discussion in Clay County on how opioid settlement funds secured during his time as Attorney General are being used to support addiction treatment and recovery, especially in rural communities where opioid addiction has had a significant impact.

Click here to learn more about upcoming rural listening sessions.

Click here to view "100 Counties Strong," a dashboard highlighting how Governor Stein and his administration invested in people and places across the state in 2025.