Dear neighbors, Serving the people of the 45th District is truly one of the great honors of my lifetime, and I will be continuing to work on the issues that matter to us. For the next few months, though, election year restrictions on official communications kick in. I will not be able to send official e-newsletters or update my legislative website and Facebook page until after the election is certified in December. We will still be hard at work, though, and my ...
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About Manka
Manka Dhingra is Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. She brings two decades of experience as a prosecutor and behavioral health expert to her role as chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. She also serves on the Behavioral Health Subcommittee and the Ways & Means Committee.
Dhingra was first elected to the Senate by the constituents of the 45th Legislative District in November 2017, the first Sikh state legislator elected in the nation. Since then, she has sponsored and passed legislation addressing a wide range of issue areas, including: curbing domestic violence and sexual assault, preventing firearm violence, providing property tax relief for seniors and people with disabilities, prosecuting financial fraud, and reforming the criminal justice system with an evidence-based approach.
During her time in the Senate, Dhingra founded the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee and helped pass legislation and funding to transform the Washington State behavioral health system, reorienting it around prevention rather than crisis response. She continues to strive to ensure that Washingtonians with behavioral health needs get the treatment they need and deserve.
Read Manka’s full biography here.
Manka in the News
Seattle Times: Not all crimes merit high-speed chases that risk bystanders’ lives
By Manka Dhingra Special to The Times Janice Porcher was on a ...
Read MoreState of Reform: State leaders prepare for implementation of the 988 call line
Behavioral health officials discussed the implementation of the 988 suicide prevention call ...
Read MoreThe Stranger: Finally, a Crime Dashboard You Should Care About
Any casual observer of our local debate on public safety will know ...
Read MoreSeattle Times: Women of color are changing the dialogue in WA’s Legislature
By Manka Dhingra and Rebecca Saldaña Special to The Times “No two ...
Read MoreSeattle Medium: Inslee Signs Legislation Boosting Access To Community-based Behavioral Health Treatment Into Law
Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation into law that will improve ...
Read MoreBellevue Reporter: Community health centers are the backbone of equity in our healthcare system
By Manka Dhingra and Lisa Yohalem Special to the Bellevue Reporter. After two ...
Read MoreCrosscut: New WA police accountability law can now include past misconduct
The body that licenses police officers in Washington state has decided to ...
Read MoreWoodinville Weekly: State funds $5 million for Woodinville trestle widening
The city of Woodinville recently secured $5 million in state funding to ...
Read MoreCrosscut: Sending disabled students out of state gains WA lawmakers’ attention
Sen. Manka Dhingra has called for a joint session to address the ...
Read MoreColumbia Basin Herald: WA Republicans call out partisanship while Dems tout bipartisan successes
OLYMPIA – Wash. House and Senate Republicans are expressing frustration with a ...
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