The Washington State Bar Association has approved far lower case limits for public defenders in an effort to stop them from quitting, to help with recruiting and to fairly represent defendants. Skeptics agree the system is breaking down but are concerned about finding more attorneys to hire. Many counties, especially rural ones, already struggle to employ enough public defenders and get almost no state funding, which some say should change.
READ MORECity Council unanimously votes to create policy for questioning public monuments, now classified as separate from public art.
READ MOREAccording to the complaint, in 2022, the officer shot Immanueal Clark in the back as he ran away.
READ MOREWashington state's legislative session is ending with bipartisan support to address the opioid crisis and ban the police practice of hog-tying, but fell short in getting some of the most progressive bills across the finish line. Over 300 bills are heading to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee's desk.most with bipartisan support. At the samr time some initiatives would overturn Democrats’ biggest recent wins, including the year-old Climate Commitment Act, which works to cap and reduce pollution
READ MOREMore than $350 million will be dedicated to new housing, interest-free loans to cities, eviction prevention and stable housing programs.
READ MOREThese initiatives approved Monday are just three of six certified after the group Let’s Go Washington, which is primarily bankrolled by hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures in support of them. Initiatives to overturn the state’s landmark carbon pricing program and tax on the sale of stocks and bonds as well as one that could threaten a long-term care insurance program will likely head straight to voters.
READ MOREKotek's office says the bill has yet to reach her desk. Once it does, state law says she will have 30 days to issue a veto, as the Legislature is set to adjourn Sunday. If she signs the bill — or does nothing — it will take effect.
READ MOREWith Native Americans and Alaska Natives in Washington dying of opioid overdoses at five times the state average Washington lawmakers have agreed to allocate $8 milliona year to 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington from a half-billion-dollar settlement between the state and major opioid distributors. The funds will help tribes address the opioid crisis
READ MORECrump has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Henrietta Lacks.
READ MOREThe vote on Wednesday came nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma, Washington, facedown with his hands and feet cuffed together behind him.
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