Category Archives: In the News

Lawmakers in Olympia are scrambling to respond to a Washington Supreme Court decision that declared the state’s law criminalizing drug possession unconstitutional because it did not require prosecutors to prove intent. Dueling proposals reflect the range of philosophical beliefs about ...

About a month after the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state’s drug possession law and effectively decriminalized controlled substances statewide, lawmakers in Olympia have introduced nine pieces of legislation to address the ruling’s major ramifications, which include $100 million tabs from ...

A group of Democratic lawmakers have met in recent weeks, attempting to understand the decision and strategize next steps. Sen. Manka Dhingra, who works as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in King County, has framed the Blake decision as an ...

OLYMPIA, WA — State legislators are considering a new legal framework for drug possession, one month after the state’s highest court struck down Washington’s felony drug statute. In February, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the state’s “strict ...

OLYMPIA — When state House lawmakers earlier this month passed a bill that creates a clear standard for when police officers can use physical force, DeVitta Briscoe said it felt like a victory moment in a football game. “Like how ...

The Washington Supreme Court has struck down the state’s felony drug possession law because it doesn’t require prosecutors to prove that someone knowingly or intentionally possessed drugs. Democratic Sen. Manka Dhingra said state lawmakers can clarify, or rewrite the law, ...

SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state Senate on Tuesday approved a measure requiring police to intervene if they see a fellow officer using excessive force — one of several measures in the Legislature prompted by the Minneapolis police killing of ...

A bill to curb excessive force by law-enforcement officers got the approval of the Washington state Senate on Tuesday, becoming the first piece of police accountability legislation to pass out of a chamber this year. “You have to make sure ...

A bill that would ensure women can receive services for pregnancy complications passed in the Senate in a 29-20 vote during a virtual floor debate Wednesday. Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, shared a story during the debate about a woman who ...

Karen A. Johnson will be the director of the newly created state Office of Equity. Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, applauded the appointment, which is effective March 8. “The Office of Equity Task Force benefitted tremendously from the great experience and ...