“This bill will harm those who can’t speak for themselves”: Reps. Joshua Penner and Travis Couture urge lawmakers to reject House Bill 1472

State Representatives Joshua Penner, R-Orting, and Travis Couture, R-Allyn, are speaking out forcefully against House Bill 1472, legislation that would mandate the closure of Rainier School and Yakima Valley School—two residential habilitation centers serving individuals with profound developmental and intellectual disabilities—by June 30, 2027.

Despite powerful testimony, passionate floor speeches, and heartfelt pleas from families, guardians, and professionals, the bill advanced out of the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

“This bill will lead to suffering, instability, and yes—avoidable deaths,” said Couture, ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. “We’ve seen it happen in other states. This isn’t just about facilities; it’s about real people who depend on this care to survive.”

Couture, who has lived experience both personally and professionally working in disability services, said he was devastated by the bill’s disregard for the vulnerable populations it affects. “These aren’t just clients on a spreadsheet. They are human beings who dream, who bleed the same red blood as the rest of us. Many of them have already failed in community placements. That’s why they’re at Rainier and Yakima Valley. These centers are their last hope.”

Penner, the House Republican Caucus lead on this issue, echoed those concerns, adding that HB 1472 fails to provide a realistic, detailed, or adequately funded transition plan. “Shutting this down without a plan will haunt people,” Penner added. “The bill is built on a myth—that there are sufficient community-based options. But families, labor groups, care providers, and advocates are all telling us the same thing: they don’t exist.”

Under HB 1472, new admissions to Rainier and Yakima Valley schools would cease immediately, and current residents would be relocated over the next two years. While the bill includes general language around individualized transition planning and resident choice, Penner and Couture argue that the plan is vague, underfunded, and unrealistic, given the lack of existing community capacity.

“This bill counts on systems we know don’t exist,” Penner noted. “The state doesn’t have the housing, the skilled workforce, or the infrastructure to safely support these residents outside of the centers they currently rely on. The promise of ‘community care’ is empty if the community isn’t ready.”

Penner described Rainier School as a true home and lifeline for residents with complex medical and behavioral needs, often after they’ve failed multiple community placements. He pointed to past closures like the Frances Haddon Morgan Center, where supposed savings turned into soaring costs from crisis care, hospitalizations, and even deaths.

“Closing Rainier and Yakima Valley is not just bad policy—it’s a moral failure,” Penner said. “We should be investing in these centers, not dismantling them.”

Both lawmakers emphasized that they are not opposed to thoughtful reform but said it must be done responsibly, with adequate planning, safeguards, and funding.

“This doesn’t have to be a partisan issue,” Couture noted. “We’re ready to work with anyone to find real solutions, but this bill is not the answer. We urge our colleagues to stand with those who can’t speak for themselves and vote no on HB 1472.”

The bill awaits final approval by the full House of Representatives. The 2025 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on April 27.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov