(The Center Square) – Deemed necessary to implement the budget, Washington state lawmakers heard testimony on a bill on Wednesday that would close two rehabilitation centers to save $58.8 million per biennium.
The cutoff to advance bills out of the house of origin was last week. However, with a massive shortfall looming overhead, either chamber can advance proposals necessary to implement the budget. The House Early Learning & Human Services Committee picked one up on Wednesday.
If approved, House Bill 1472 would close Rainier School and Yakima Valley School, two residential habilitation centers in Buckley and Selah. The facilities provide care and services to people with developmental disabilities, who the state would have to relocate under HB 1472.
Shawn Latham, policy coordinator for Self Advocates in Leadership, said his parents were told to put him in a similar facility because his “life would not be great.” They refused, allowing him to graduate college, which led to several offers from the Developmental Disability Administration.
“In this time of an economic slowdown,” Latham testified, “now is the time to close institutions like Rainier and Yakima Valley.”
He said the cost per person each day at one of these facilities ranges from $1,400 to $2,100, while those in adult family homes cost $177, with supported living at $625. Latham argued that HB 1472 is fiscally responsible and would lead to more meaningful lives.
According to a fiscal note, HB 1472 would reduce operating expenses by about $58.8 million per biennium if both closed. Relocating the current patients and keeping the facilities available for future use would offset some of that, with net savings of roughly $38 million per biennium.
Democrats estimate a $12 billion revenue shortfall in the coming years, while Republicans argue the figure is closer to $6.7 billion. Proposals like HB 1472, which cut services to save money or create new taxes, are among the top priorities.
Committee staff said Rainier School currently supports 81 residents, with Yakima Valley School caring for 49 others. Both underwent reductions in recent years, with two of the three programs in Buckley shuttering since 2019. Selah stopped accepting new residents in 2017.
Several parents testified Wednesday on refusing to institutionalize their children.
“Last night, I picked him up from band practice, and I never thought we would be, 10 years later, where we are today,” Krista Milhofer testified regarding her son. “I am so grateful that I didn’t make that choice, and I wish that choice wasn’t an option or even offered to me.”
Chloe Marino, an attorney with Disability Rights Washington, called Rainier School a “dangerous place.” While currently supporting 81 people, the facility peaked at over 1,900 residents in 1958; Marino attributed this to several issues, including a failure to meet health and safety standards.
She cited instances of residents who died due to lack of supervision and inadequate medical care and others sexually assaulted by staff. Marino said these happen regularly and called HB 1472 an opportunity “to live free from abuse and neglect.”
Nicole Gomez, with the Washington Federation of State Employees, testified against HB 1472.
“What I saw told a different story,” Gomez said regarding her first visit to Rainier School.
She met staff who spent decades caring for the residents, arguing that she saw “specialized medical care” that many wouldn’t receive otherwise. Gomez cited one resident previously placed in a community facility that couldn’t meet his needs and later wandered into the wrong home.
The situation escalated into a dangerous police encounter before he ultimately returned to Rainier School.
According to The News Tribune, Rainier School employs 460 full-time employees in a town of only 5,114 people. It’s the largest employer in the town, having opened in 1939, and a staple of the community to many who live in Buckley, posting signs that read “SAVE RAINIER SCHOOL.”
Former Gov. Jay Inslee suggested closing both facilities in his proposed budget on the way out of office in January. According to a Washington Federation of State Employees news release, doing so would eliminate “645 jobs, 127 beds and force 119 disabled people to move.”
Others, including law enforcement officials and former employees, argued that HB 1472 would lead to increased costs due to the lack of caregivers and facilities available to the patients. Supporters, including former residents of the facilities, called on the state to close both schools.
“The sheriff almost shot and killed [my son], and he actually helped me get him into Rainier, where he became stable,” one parent testified. “There’s nowhere for him to go if he’s discharged. We tried everything to keep Rainier open.”
State lawmakers will likely schedule an executive session for HB 1472 or its companion, Senate Bill 5393, over the coming days if they intend to advance it for a floor vote. If approved, both facilities would close by June 2027.
