In the News

Senator Manka Dhingra is the Chair of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care. Today, the Committee held public hearings for three bills: (Concerning involuntary commitment), SB 5071 (Creating transition teams to assist specified persons under civil commitment), and SB 5074 (Establishing safe station pilot programs). All three bills were scheduled for executive ...

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate voted Wednesday to extend Gov. Jay Inslee's emergency orders until the COVID-19 state of emergency is over, despite stiff Republican opposition. In the Legislature's first virtual floor debate, Republicans introduced two amendments to the emergency order resolution: one that would extend the proclamations until Jan. ...

New national suicide hotline number to start in 2022 A measure introduced by state Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, will help ensure suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis services are accessible to everyone statewide. The bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, designated 988 as the new national suicide prevention and mental health ...

Covid-19 relief is a top priority for this year’s legislature, and Republicans and Democrats generally agree it will be necessary to get aid out as soon as possible.

The parties are split, however, when it comes to increasing some taxes to erase a pandemic-caused revenue shortfall.

House speaker Laurie ...

Black Lives Matter Seattle King County (BLMSKC) continues to push the issue of equality under the law. But instead of the streets where protests are normally held, they are bringing their fight for equity under law and police accountability directly to the front door of state lawmakers. During a virtual townhall ...

Leaders from the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses — Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, House Majority Floor Leader Monica Stonier, and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Manka Dhingra — gathered Wednesday for a virtual press conference to discuss the 2021 legislative session. The leaders addressed a variety of topics, ...

Increased security is expected around the Capitol building in Olympia Jan. 11 for the start of the 2021 Legislative session. The decision to add security follows the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C, and incursions onto the property of the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia Wednesday, where protestors forced open ...

Washington’s Legislature convenes in Olympia Monday for a new session that will be unlike any other in state history. State lawmakers plan to conduct most of their 105-day session remotely, holding hearings on legislation and even voting via web conferencing. But first, they need to convene in person so they can adopt ...

Washington’s 2021 legislative session was already bound to be as challenging as any in state history. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers have arranged Zoom-powered proceedings, with a limited number of legislators allowed at any one time on the House and Senate floors, and the Capitol closed to the general public. Their task ...

Desperately needed COVID-19 relief is a top priority for this year’s state Legislature, and Republicans and Democrats generally agree it will be necessary to get that aid out as soon as possible. The parties are split, however, when it comes to increasing some taxes to erase a revenue shortfall. House Speaker Laurie ...