By Donald W. Meyers / Yakima Herald-Republic
YAKIMA — After two years, the Travis Alert Act is finally law.
On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill named for Travis King, a 12-year-old Wapato-area boy with autism. Travis and his family were present when Inslee signed the bill.
The Travis Alert Act directs the state to create a program to train police, firefighters, paramedics and first responders in how to work with people with disabilities. It also creates a task force that will look into adding information people voluntarily submit about disabilities to the 911 call system.
Rep. Gina McCabe’s first attempt to pass the bill failed last year when the Legislature adjourned before the Senate could vote on it. This year, the Goldendale Republican’s bill made it through both houses with near-unanimous support.
The only “no” vote came from Moxee Republican Rep. Dave Taylor, who argued that it could expose responders to liability.
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