Police may pursue suspects that pose long-term serious risk to others under revisions of a more restrictive 2022 vehicle chase law that has now passed both houses of this year’s Legislature. Engrossed Senate Bill 5352 was introduced by Sen. John L...

A public-school grant program to help students evaluate news reports would be established if a bill passed by the state Senate makes its way through the House of Representatives. The amount of the grant program awarded to teachers and school...

Public schools must adopt a “Statement of Student Rights,” that includes freedom of speech and religion, the right to assemble, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under legislation that has passed the Senate and is now in the...

The manufacture, distribution and sale of any assault weapon would be prohibited by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives and now in the Senate. “There has been a dramatic shift in the public, I think there’s been a shift in the...

Food banks are finding it necessary to provide diapers, toiletries, feminine hygiene products and other non-food items but currently are limited on how much they can spend on those essentials. Substitute House Bill 1499, by Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak...

More than 400,000 health care professionals would be required to provide information on race, ethnicity, gender, and spoken languages under a bill that passed the House and now is under consideration by the Senate. “This is something that we need t...

Sex traffickers often manipulate their victims with lies or threats and force them to participate in sexual acts, and the most vulnerable victims are between the ages of 12 and 18. “Sex trafficking is rampant, indiscriminate and insidious, especially...

Reproductive health care services including abortion and gender affirming treatment would be protected in Washington State under a bill recently passed by the House with a 59-38 vote. The legislation, House Bill 1469, was sponsored by Rep. Drew Hanse...

Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic violence victims need t...

The war against the use of illegal fentanyl will get some extra help in the future from drug sniffing dogs trained to detect the substance. That’s the intent of House Bill 1635, introduced by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Lakewood. The bill instructs the C...

Stalking is stalking, whether it is in person or online, and they will be treated as identical crimes if a bill presented in the Legislature is adopted. Under current law, a person commits the crime of stalking if they repeatedly follow someone with...

Students should spend more time in school and less time on break so they retain the learning they acquire during the school year. That’s the opinion of Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, who has introduced a bill in the state Legislature that adds...

Cosmetology students will be able to register for their final exam before they have completed their course work if a bill under consideration by the state Legislature is approved. House Bill 1017, by Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, allows cosmetology...

Four dogs sat in a House hearing room and two more watched the room over Zoom as a legislative committee discussed rules dog handlers must follow in courthouses for dogs to assist people who are providing testimony, including youth with...

After two years of an online and hybrid Legislature that severely restricted legislators’ direct contact during the pandemic, the House and Senate chambers were full of people reuniting and greeting each other. at the opening of the state L...