A bill authored by Washington state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, to help victims of sexual misconduct or abuse get better care from those assigned to investigate the crimes has gained approval from both the state House and Senate, and will be sent to Gov. Jay Inslee for his approval.

The bill is designed to provide training to health care investigators, who currently do not have specialized training in how to deal with victims of sexual misconduct, state Democrats said. Because investigators and health professionals want to avoid any unintended harm, training on how to properly understand the complex emotions victims are feeling, provided for in Van De Wege’s House Bill 1779, is necessary, they said.

“Unfortunately there are situations where victims are placed in the worst possible position, being mistreated by someone they are supposed to trust — their health care provider,” said Van De Wege. “In those situations, having well-trained and prepared investigators who can be sensitive to the victims’ needs while getting to the bottom of the case is absolutely imperative.

“I’m glad both the House and the Senate were able to pass this bill and I look forward to it becoming law,” he said.