RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers must return to Raleigh later this month, Gov. Josh Stein said Thursday, using his constitutional authority to call for a special legislative session.

It's a rare move that's only been used a few times in recent decades. But Stein said the extreme measure is necessary to fix an issue that lawmakers failed to solve on their own: Medicaid funding .

“It is time to fund Medicaid, because if they fail to do so, people are suffering, and it is unacceptable,” Stein, a Democrat, told reporters at a news conference at the state Capitol building Thursday.

Republican legislative leaders say Stein is politicizing the situation. Lawmakers adjourned last month with no plans to vote on major legislation for the rest of the year, meaning a new state budget is unl

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