The state of Washington launched a “Domestic Violent Extremism and Mass Violence Task Force.”
Under the Washington State Senate Bill 5950, the Attorney General’s Office was granted $247,000 to develop such a task force.
According to SB 5950, “$247,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 is provided solely for the office of the attorney general, jointly with the department of health, to form a task force to provide recommendations to establish a comprehensive public health and community-based framework to combat extremism and mass violence.”
The task force will have its first meeting on November 22.
The task force echoes Washington House Bill 1333, which would have created a “domestic violent extremism commission” had it passed in the 2023-2024 session.
In 2022, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, now Washington’s Governor-elect, released a report describing a “public health model of prevention” to “violent extremism.” According to the report, addressing violent extremism through public health includes efforts that are “rooted in communities’ needs,” “holistic and whole-of-society,” “rely on evidence-based interventions,” and “focus on building resilient systems, not just resilient individuals.”
