Committee backs bill to close two residential habilitation centers while preserving crisis and respite beds

At an executive session of the Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Committee, members voted to report out House Bill 14 72 with a "do pass" recommendation. The bill would require the Department of Social and Health Services to close Rainier School and Yakima Valley School as residential habilitation centers by June 30, 2027, and bar new admissions except for short-term respite or crisis stabilization.

The measure matters because it directs closure of two long-standing state institutions while aiming to preserve crisis and respite capacity for people with developmental disabilities. Representative Taylor said the move relates to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1999 Olmstead decision, which the committee heard requires state-funded services be made available in the community…