‘People will die’: WA Rep. pleads to undo bill that will close schools for disabled
Apr 11, 2025, 5:00 PM | Updated: Apr 29, 2025, 9:09 am
Washington State Republican Representative Travis Couture pleads with the House Appropriations Committee to bring down House Bill 1472. (Photo courtesy of TVW)
(Photo courtesy of TVW)
Washington State Republican Representative Travis Couture pleaded with the House Appropriations Committee to bring down a bill that he said will harm “vulnerable people.”
“My heart sits in my stomach right now because I know what the outcome of this is going to be,” Couture said, fighting back tears. “I’ve lived personally and professionally in this space, legislatively as well. People will die as a result of this bill. It’s not just a fact, it’s also a prediction.”
According to , will close both the Rainier and Yakima Valley schools for the developmentally disabled.
Couture said that Georgia shut down all its facilities and that hundreds of people died.
“Not people like you and me, Mr. Chair, people who can’t speak for themselves,” he said.
Adding, “They’re medically complex and fragile.”
Travis Couture warns of tragic consequences with HB 1472
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Couture said the people HB 1472 will impact are “the most vulnerable human beings in our state.” He added that the facilities were put in place because the state had a moral obligation to protect the people in them.
“I will do anything to stop this bill,” Couture proclaimed. “I will work with every single member of this committee.
He added that the state should be focusing on making facilities for people with disabilities better, not shutting them down.
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