Rep. Joshua Penner puts transparency and accountability at the center of care for individuals with developmental disabilities
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Rep. Joshua Penner puts transparency and accountability at the center of care for individuals with developmental disabilities
As Washington continues to rely on a mixed system of state-operated facilities and private providers to care for individuals with developmental disabilities, families and taxpayers are often left without clear, comparable information about how safe and stable those settings truly are. When placements fail, the consequences can be severe, including repeated crises, emergency room visits, and individuals being pushed into homelessness, incarceration, or state custody.
To address those gaps, Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, has introduced House Bill 2200, which would bring transparency, accountability, and consistency to how Washington measures safety and stability in residential settings for individuals with developmental disabilities.
“For families, this isn’t abstract policy. This is about trusting the system with the life and safety of someone they love,” said Penner. “When placements break down, people don’t just fall through the cracks. They fall into crisis. My bill is about telling the truth, using real data, and making sure our system is actually serving the people it’s supposed to protect.”
HB 2200 directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to conduct a comprehensive review of safety and stability outcomes across the full continuum of developmental disability residential services, including state-operated facilities and contracted community-based settings. The review would examine emergency calls, extended hospital stays, placement disruptions, staffing stability, and other key indicators, with a focus on individuals with high medical or behavioral needs.
Unlike today’s fragmented approach, the bill requires standardized, apples-to-apples data so policymakers, families, and the public can clearly compare outcomes across settings. It also requires the Department of Social and Health Services to create a public-facing dashboard that allows families and guardians to view aggregate safety and stability data over time.
“For too long, families have been forced to make life-altering decisions without clear information,” Penner added. “Sunlight matters. Accountability matters. And dignity matters. If one part of our system is struggling, we should know it, not hide it, so we can fix it and prevent people from being bounced from crisis to crisis.”
By focusing on measurable outcomes rather than assumptions, the bill aims to strengthen trust in the system, improve oversight, and drive better care for individuals with developmental disabilities, regardless of where they live or who provides their services.
“This bill doesn’t attack providers, and it doesn’t pick winners or losers,” Penner concluded. “It demands honesty. If we care about safety, stability, and respect for people with developmental disabilities, then we should be willing to look hard at the data and act on what it tells us.”
HB 2200 received a public hearing in the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee and remains under consideration. Penner said he hopes to move the bill forward as part of a broader effort to ensure accountability, transparency, and better outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities and the families who depend on Washington’s care system.
