I recently toured Frontier Behavior Health’s 988 crisis hotline call center. I was pleased to have the two lead sponsors of the program, Sen. Manka Dhingra and Rep. Tina Orwall, join me along with 911 dispatchers, call center administrators, and other local legislators.

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1477 to implement the national 988 crisis hotline, which went live this summer.

  • 988 connects callers to life-saving emergency personnel, stabilization services, and follow-up case management
  • Help is available 24/7. Just dial 9-8-8
  • You can call or text on behalf of yourself or someone else concerning crises like substance abuse, sexual assault, suicide prevention, etc.
  • No issue is too big or too small
  • Responders are social workers or trained mental healthcare providers

These efforts will go a long way toward stabilizing members of our community during crisis situations.

New Staff Member: Welcome, Veronica!

I am excited to welcome Veronica Moorehead to our office. Veronica will be serving the people of the 3rd Legislative District as our Legislative Assistant. Veronica joins Lukas Garcia, who started with our team least year and has transitioned into the role of Executive Assistant.

Veronica is originally from Los Angeles. She spends her free time volunteering with various organizations in the Spokane community and is active in her local church.

Veronica graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in political science. This December, she will be receiving her master’s degree in international politics from Arizona State University.

Interim Activity

The legislative interim (the period between legislative sessions) is the time for Washington’s citizen-legislators to go back to their communities, connect with constituents, dive deep into policy work, and prepare legislation for the next session.

These community connections are my favorite part of the job. Here are a few recent examples:

  • Engaged in multiple meetings with community members and local officials to support transitioning Camp Hope residents to more stable housing opportunities and closing the camp as soon as possible
  • Visited numerous small businesses to gain firsthand knowledge of their successes and challenges
  • Participated in childcare strategy discussions with local providers and parents to discuss additional ways to expand access and affordability
  • Met with Spokane district & municipal court judges
  • Visited with 2nd Graders in Spokane Public School’s Language Immersion Program and taught a lesson in civics & government
  • Met with leaders of Terrain, a local arts & culture organization, to learn more about their future plans
  • Toured the local office of Lutheran Community Services to learn about the services they provide here in Spokane
  • Celebrated CHAS Health’s opening of a new wraparound behavioral health treatment facility
  • Met with local tribal representatives to discuss the state’s continued support for reintroducing salmon to the upper Columbia river system

If you have interest in meeting with me or a staff member from our office, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Keep in Touch

Your input is essential for me to effectively do my job of representing our community. Please reach out to me at any time with questions, feedback, or comments at Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov.

Onward!

Andy