Category Archives: In the News

12 Jan
0

KUOW: Period tracking apps would have to follow new WA health privacy laws if this bill passes

Social media lit up with an ominous warning last year, after the Supreme Court rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion: Stop using period tracking apps. That’s because health information people provide to period tracking apps and other health sites ...

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11 Jan
0

King 5: Survivor, Washington lawmaker working together to reduce forced labor

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Born into poverty in southern India, Rani Hong was 7 years old when she was sold into slavery. “They did not see me as a seven-year-old child. They saw me as a piece of property to be ...

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09 Jan
0

The Chronicle: Attorney General Bob Ferguson Partners With Lawmakers to Propose Legislation Targeting Native American Cold Cases

In a statement released on Friday, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he has partnered state Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, and state Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, to propose legislation creating a Cold Case Investigations Unit focused on solving cases ...

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03 Jan
0

Crosscut: In 2023, WA lawmakers will decide the legal future of drug possession

Should the legal system treat drug possession as a crime? How can society compel people with serious substance-use disorders to get treatment? And how do elected officials handle those questions? It’s been nearly two years since the state Supreme Court’s ...

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24 May
0

Seattle Times: 3 lessons Washington can learn from how Arizona helps people in mental health crisis

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Arizona is renowned for its red, desert terrain, the striking beauty of the Grand Canyon and — perhaps less well known — one of the best mental health crisis response systems in the country. For more ...

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23 May
0

State of Reform: Q&A: Sen. Manka Dhingra discusses possible improvements to Washington State’s crisis response methods following Arizona visit

Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) represents Washington State’s 45th Legislative District. She’s a member of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee and has helped pass legislation to transform the state’s behavioral health system—reorienting it around prevention rather than crisis response—during her time ...

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18 May
0

The Stranger: New Hotline Could Pave the Way for an Unarmed Crisis Response in Washington … Eventually

Most trips that lawmakers take to “listen and learn” about “best practices” in other states usually amount to nothing more than poorly disguised vacations, but every once in a while there’s an exception that proves the rule. Washington State legislators ...

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12 May
0

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 routine work errand one morning in 2017 in Fife. A nine-year veteran deck hand for Washington State Ferries, she was a favorite of her colleagues for her smile ...

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11 May
0

State of Reform: State leaders prepare for implementation of the 988 call line

Behavioral health officials discussed the implementation of the 988 suicide prevention call line at a meeting on Tuesday. Get the latest state-specific policy intelligence for the health care sector delivered to your inbox. Members of the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy ...

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10 May
0

The Stranger: Finally, a Crime Dashboard You Should Care About

Any casual observer of our local debate on public safety will know that dashboards are all the rage these days. Mayor Bruce Harrell campaigned on his love of data visualization. The Purge cosplayers over at the Seattle Police Officers Guild ...

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