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Lawmakers Wrap Up Session

Lawmakers have adjourned their post-Thanksgiving work session.

Republican leaders came to this week's very brief legislative session to repeal the Racial Justice Act. It allows judges to commute the sentences of death row inmates to life in prison if they can show racial bias through statistical evidence. The bill lawmakers passed would nullify that. The governor has until late December to sign or veto the repeal measure. House lawmakers- Republicans and some Democrats- voted to cap the state gasoline tax from its scheduled rise on January first. The Senate didn't pass it and probably won't in the future- leaders in that chamber are not enthusiastic about the idea. House lawmakers also approved a non-binding resolution urging the Democratic National Convention Committee not to pass over non-unionized workers. The DNC will hold its convention in Charlotte next year. State lawmakers plan to return in February.

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Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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