From the Spokesman-Review Washington could get a new state agency dedicated to reducing gun violence and improving safety under a bill that passed the Senate on Tuesday. And that wasn’t the only gun-related bill to move forward in the Legislature: The House passed a bill that would require a background check ...
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From The Seattle Times OLYMPIA — In Washington, victims of sexual assault continue to be turned away from hospitals that don’t have specially trained nurses who can administer rape kits — a problem contributing to what state officials are calling a “patchwork response to sexual assault.”
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From The Seattle Times For nearly two decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was effectively barred from conducting research on gun violence, making nationwide data difficult to gather, and forcing local governments or smaller research organizations to pick up the slack. The result was significant gaps in data ...
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From the AP
Democratic state lawmakers are pushing to create an office on firearm-violence prevention in order to improve data sources, collection methods and sharing mechanisms statewide.
The Seattle Times reports that Senate Bill 6288 would also help fund local evidence-based violence-reduction initiatives. The measure passed ...Read More
From The Peninsula Daily News Proposals moving through the Legislature would expand the eligibility of incarcerated people to receive treatment for substance abuse in lieu of, or concurrently with, prison sentences. Senate Bill 6211 was heard by the Law and Justice Committee in an executive session Thursday. Its companion, House Bill ...
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From The Seattle Times Lawmakers have backed down from their proposal to ban flavored vape products and address the epidemic of youth vaping and nicotine addiction. Originally, Senate Bill 6254, introduced at the request of Gov. Jay Inslee, would have made permanent the emergency ban on flavored vape products that was approved ...
Read MoreFrom State of Reform A bill passed unanimously today by the Senate would improve the state’s medical and legal response in sexual assault cases.
Read MoreFrom The Spokesman-Review
Washington laws could soon crack down on a person threatening mass violence and on those who try to harass someone by making a false report to 911.
Bills considered by the Senate Law and Justice Committee on Monday could also increase the penalties for ...Read More
From the Seattle Times Did you know that girls being exploited and trafficked for sex can still be arrested in Washington state and charged with prostitution? Currently, under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, any person under the age of 18 who engages in a commercial sex act is considered a ...
Read MoreFrom The Seattle Times When her 33-year-old son leaves jail or a treatment center after a mental-health and drug-addiction crisis, Theresa Yates says, there’s nothing to keep him from winding up back on the streets. After an episode, he’ll be taken to jail and then involuntarily detained at a hospital or ...
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