 Dear Friends,
Greetings from Olympia! We have reached the policy “cutoff,” meaning all Senate bills that are policy-related and don’t affect the budget need to be passed out of committee today in order to still be considered “alive” or moving in the legislative process.
I wanted to tell you about a bill I sponsored to help prevent suicide. This week, the Senate Law and Justice Committee held a public hearing on my Senate Bill 5835, which would require the attorney general to establish a statewide hotline program for receiving information about potential self-harm and criminal acts. The bill would establish a confidential phone line where people could submit a tip about someone, including the tipster, who is contemplating self-harm or hurting others. We refer to this bill as “OK2SAY.” If implemented it could -- in addition to being a tip line -- also be accessible as an app on a smart phone.
This piece of potential legislation was brought to me by a constituent who was looking for a local tip line for those struggling with thoughts of suicide and couldn’t find anything.
This legislation could help save lives – and we need it now more than ever! Just this week a 16-year-old student at Richland High School died by suicide. What if this helpline had been available to them and they were able to talk to someone who could get them the help they needed?
I will continue to do everything I can to fight for mental health services in our community.
Sincerely,
 Sharon Brown
State Senator
8th District
From the district: OK2SAY
Check out my legislative update where I’m joined by Kirk Williamson, Program Manager of Ben Franklin Community Health Alliance. He remotely testified about his review of a tip line currently being implemented in Michigan, which is a model for my proposed legislation.
Will you be coming to Olympia during the 2019 session? If so, contact my office and schedule an appointment – I would love the opportunity to visit with you, and, if the time is right, you could join me in my next video update!
 Click to watch this week's video update!
As always, I value hearing directly from you. I am here to be your voice, and your feedback on bills before the Senate is very important to me. If you would like to contact me please write, phone, e-mail, or stop by if you’re in the Olympia area.
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