In the News

Washington state lawmakers plan to pursue a broad range of police reforms the next time they meet, including possibly limiting police use of tear gas and chokeholds.

Always interested in history and politics, Washington State Sen. Manka Dhingra made history as the first person of the Sikh faith ever elected to any state legislature. She took the Eastside’s 45th District position during the 2017 special election, and she founded women’s advocacy organization API Chaya in 1996.

From The News Tribune A new law took effect Thursday that prohibits medical providers from doing pelvic examinations on women without their consent if they will be unconscious or under anesthesia. It took lawmakers two years to pass SB 5282, in part because they crafted an exception to protect sexual assault victims. Doctors have been required to get informed ...

Sen. Dhingra was interviewed about emergency protections for domestic violence survivors during the coronavirus pandemic on Ariel Gliboff's podcast The Domestic Violence Discussion. You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts .

From the Woodinville Weekly As states around the country begin to ease off COVID-19 restrictions and allow people to go back to work, experts and officials express concern about the public health infrastructure needed to prevent a second wave of infections.

During a telephone town hall Thursday, May 7, state and federal lawmakers addressed concerns about the response ...

On April 2, the governor signed into law a bill that will establish the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention under the Department of Commerce, tasked with collecting and sharing gun violence data in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and researchers to promote strategies to reduce gun violence in Washington.

From The Stranger On Saturday Republican leadership in the statehouse—particularly Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler— blocked the extension of an emergency proclamation regarding protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The proclamation, set to expire May 11, allows victims to file no-contact orders online. It also allows law enforcement to serve those orders electronically or telephonically, and to remove any ...

The hosts of Filibusters radio show on KXRW invited Sen. Dhingra and Gov. Inslee to come on to discuss the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can listen to the show here.

From The Daily UW

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with Washington state’s unemployment claims rivaling the number seen in the 2008/2009 recession, every cent counts at the grocery store. Now, about half of the state population can rest a bit easier when it comes to their next round of errands.

We’re talking about menstrual products — tampons, pads, cups, and ...