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“The Impact”: Untested Rape Evidence Backlog; Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Mike McClanahan profile by Mike McClanahan

This week on “The Impact”:

We look at the push to clear a backlog of unsolved sexual evidence kits and the lawmaker spearheading an effort to bring overdue justice to survivors.

“I remember going to my car that day and just tearing up and thinking survivors assume we would have tested those,” said Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines. “We’ve had some really brave survivors come forward. And they, they live in fear. They want to know is their perpetrator still out there. Are they safe?”

Then we turn to another lawmaker’s mission to address the number of unsolved cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women.

“Some of the tribal members have expressed that there is trafficking involved and that their family members are being taken from the reservation or in urban areas,” said Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale.

Later in the show we highlight the debate in Olympia over a bill to require presidential candidates to release their tax returns before appearing on state ballots.

“Whether or not a presidential candidate has conflicts of interest or how they’ve managed personal investments or how they’ve handled themselves financially are expected and relevant details in determining who ought to be our chief executive,” said Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue.

“It’s probably in the best interest of candidates to decide that they’re going to go ahead and release their tax returns as probably most presidential candidates in recent years have done, but that’s not the issue that we have to decide here because frankly I think we are treading on unconstitutional grounds by trying to make law about a federal election here at the state capital,” said Sen. Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup.

We’ll also bring you up to speed on the lawsuit over Washington’s Clean Air Rule which is now before the State Supreme Court.

Click here to watch “The Impact” – March 20, 2019