This bill adds a new section to chapter 71A.20 RCW and amends multiple statutes to require the Department of Social and Health Services to close Yakima Valley School and Rainier School and to relocate current residents by June 30, 2027. Upon the bill’s effective date, the department must stop new admissions to those two residential habilitation centers except for short-term respite or crisis stabilization services. The bill also removes Rainier School and Yakima Valley School from certain statutory lists of permanently established residential habilitation centers and residential schools and the bill header indicates RCW 71A.20.180 is repealed (text of that repeal is incomplete in the provided facts). The bill establishes procedural requirements for the transition of residents conditioned “within available funds”: offer each resident meaningful choice of alternative placements; prioritize client choice, autonomy, medical and behavioral needs, and community integration; develop individualized transition plans with residents and families/guardians and coordinate with other state and local entities and service providers; provide or contract for assessments, planning, relocation expenses, housing modifications, staff training, crisis support, and other transition activities; implement oversight and monitoring of transition outcomes and individual well-being; provide options including state-operated living alternatives, use of existing supported living program capacity, and placement space at other residential habilitation centers; and offer employees opportunities to work in those alternatives and other state programs. After Yakima Valley’s closure the facility may operate crisis stabilization beds and a limited number of respite beds as required by identified catchment area or emergency placement needs, subject to specific appropriations. The act is procedural and administrative in nature (closing facilities, changing admissions rules, creating transition procedures, and amending statutory lists), creates a new statutory section, and amends or repeals existing provisions. Several obligations and services are expressly qualified as subject to available funds or specific appropriations. The bill includes severability and a federal-conflict clause that makes any provision inoperative to the extent it conflicts with federal conditions on federal funds and requires rules to meet necessary federal requirements. Except for sections 3–6, the act takes effect immediately; sections 3–6 take effect June 30, 2027. Important contextual details are missing from the provided text: the chapter number for “Laws of 2025 (this act)” is not shown, the full text of Sec. 7 and certain referenced sections (1–6) are not included here, and the bill caption’s effective date/emergency language is not visible. The bill is identified as Second Substitute House Bill 1472 (H-2205.1), 69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session.

If enacted, the state will close Yakima Valley school and Rainier school by June 30, 2027 and stop new long-term admissions right away (only short-term respite or crisis stabilization admissions allowed). Residents will be relocated into community options, other residential habilitation centers, or state-operated living alternatives based on individualized transition plans that prioritize choice, medical and behavioral needs, and community integration; the department must arrange assessments, relocation expenses, housing modifications, staff training, crisis support, and ongoing monitoring during the move. Families, guardians, and local providers will be more involved in planning and residents will likely move into community-based settings or different state facilities rather than staying at those campuses. The department and affected providers will face new transition responsibilities and potential costs, but many obligations are explicitly limited to "within available funds" and post-closure crisis/respite capacity at Yakima depends on specific appropriations, so how quickly and fully services are provided will likely hinge on budgeting decisions. Residential habilitation center employees will be offered opportunities to work in alternative state programs or other facilities, but some workers could face reassignments or job loss if funding or positions are insufficient. Rules implementing these changes must comply with federal requirements to protect federal funding, and some implementation details and exact appropriation sources are not clear from the available text.