In the News

OLYMPIA – Washington state lawmakers are looking at how the state is addressing gender-based violence and supporting survivors. During a press conference Feb. 13, Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said we are facing a “worldwide reckoning” after the release of the Epstein files. She went on to denounce the federal government ...

“Recognizing these important holidays is about belonging,” Sen. Manka Dhingra said of the bill. Dhingra, the nation’s first Sikh legislator elected to any state legislator, is the prime sponsor of the bill. “This bill is about acknowledging our state’s religious and cultural diversity and making sure our Indian ...

A rural hospital along the Idaho border has been feeling the pinch from an influx of people coming from outside Washington who, under state law, can receive free health care there. “Our margins are already very, very thin,” said Newport Hospital interim CEO Justin Peters. “Charity care for our community is ...

OLYMPIA — As Valentine’s Day arrives, Washington lawmakers are drawing attention to a stark reality behind the holiday’s celebration of love: 1 in 8 adults in the state report being injured by an intimate partner. At a Friday news conference, legislators outlined a package of bills ...

The Washington state Senate approved legislation Thursday to set stricter eligibility standards for sheriffs and other police leadership, weeks after a sheriff’s comments on the bill left some lawmakers feeling threatened. The contentious measure also looks to give the state a path to remove elected sheriffs from office if they don’t ...

For years, crime victim advocates in Washington have fought for state funding to make up for dwindling federal dollars. This year will be no different. These advocates are asking for a minimum of $21.4 million to keep their organizations afloat. But Gov. Bob Ferguson’s budget proposal, released last month, included just $12 million ...

OLYMPIA — “Here in this Washington, we will not turn our backs on our immigrant communities,” Sen. Manka Dhingra said to a clamorous crowd on the Capitol’s north steps. “This is what America looks like.” Under a gray sky, roughly 300 people filled the steps with handmade signs and paper butterflies on Thursday, ...