VIDEO | Rep. Joshua Penner on transparency and accountability in developmental disability care (testimony on House Bill 2200)

January 14, 2026

Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, testifies before the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee in support of his sponsored legislation–House Bill 2200–which focuses on transparency, accountability, and data integrity within Washington’s developmental disability care system.

In his testimony, Penner describes how the state currently applies rigorous oversight to a small number of state-operated facilities while lacking reliable, comparable data for thousands of individuals living in contracted community settings. He outlines how this imbalance leaves policymakers, families, and guardians without the information needed to assess safety, capacity, and outcomes across the full continuum of care.

HB 2200 directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to conduct a retrospective review comparing key indicators such as emergency responses, placement outcomes, and staff retention across both state and privately operated settings funded by public dollars. The bill also establishes a public dashboard so families can access this information directly.

The goal of HB 2200 is to ensure all care settings are evaluated using consistent metrics, allowing Washington to identify challenges, replicate success, and build a system grounded in measurable outcomes rather than anecdotes.