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Lawmakers Overturn Governor's Veto of Teacher Assoc Bill

Early this morning, state lawmakers overrode the governor's veto of a bill preventing teachers from automatically paying dues to the state's largest organization for educators.

Jessica Jones: The measure passed the House 69-45 with exactly the three-fifths majority needed to become law. It had already passed the Senate. Teachers will no longer be able to pay automatic dues through their paychecks to the North Carolina Association of Educators. But that wasn't what originally brought lawmakers to Raleigh this week. The governor convened them in accordance with state law to consider her veto of a bill that would repeal the Racial Justice Act. The act allows death row inmates to appeal their sentences using statistics to show evidence of racial bias. Democratic leaders are angry about the Republican change of course, saying they should have known about the agenda ahead of time. But Speaker of the House Thom Tillis says lawmakers should have known it could come up.

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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