News Releases

OLYMPIA – Medha Singitham served as a page for the Washington State Senate during the second week of the 2024 legislative session. Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) sponsored her time at the Legislature. The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During a week-long interactive learning experience, students are visited by guest speakers and ...

OLYMPIA — Child survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse would receive greater support and care in Washington under legislation heard in the Senate Law & Justice Committee today. The Legislature has made significant progress in recent years to increase support for survivors. Nevertheless, Washington recently received a C grade from Shared Hope International, the leading nonprofit working to eradicate ...

OLYMPIA — An omnibus bill to promote a victim-centered, trauma-informed response to sexual assault in Washington’s legal system was heard in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Monday. SB 5937 streamlines eligibility for crime victim benefits, covers some of victims’ costs for forensic examinations, expands protections to more victims, improves state and local teams to respond to sexual assault, ...

OLYMPIA – Young people in the midst of a behavioral health crisis would have a safe place to go for immediate treatment under legislation heard Thursday in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. SB 5853, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), would build on the system established last year that created crisis relief centers (CRC), a new type ...

OLYMPIA – Lauren Schwager served as a page for the Washington State Senate during the opening week of the 2024 legislative session. Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) sponsored her time at the Legislature. The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During week-long interactive learning experience, students are visited by guest speakers and get ...

OLYMPIA – Parv Mehta from Eastlake High School served as a page for the Washington State Senate during the opening week of the 2024 legislative session. Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) sponsored his time at the Legislature. The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During week-long interactive learning experience, students learn from guest ...

BELLEVUE – LifeWire has presented Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) with the Norm Maleng Award for her work to end domestic violence. “I am so honored to receive the 2023 Norm Maleng Award,” said Dhingra, chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. “I started working on behalf of survivors of gender-based violence while I was in college and have continued to ...

Deputy Senate Majority Leader Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) released the statement below in reaction to the recently released bodycam footage of a Seattle police officer mocking the death of Jaahvani Kandula: "I was shocked and saddened by the callousness displayed in the conversation between two Seattle police officers just hours after the death of Jaahvani Kandula. "Incidences like this are precisely why ...

OLYMPIA — Washington state’s behavioral health system is coming out of the 2023 legislative session with nearly $1 billion in new funding and crucial innovative initiatives established. “With the rollout of Washington’s new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, our state is becoming a national model for behavioral health crisis intervention,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), deputy majority leader of the Senate. ...

Uma R. Yaga, a sophomore at Redmond High School, served as a page with the Washington State Senate the week of April 17. Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) sponsored her week at the Legislature. The page program offers a week of interactive learning about how state government works. Pages get to witness committee hearings, sit in on floor debates, and deliver materials ...