Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed a bill sponsored by state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, to extend services to developmentally disabled young people.
The bill, Substitute Senate Bill 5790, seeks to better connect youth with disabilities to employment opportunities after leaving the education system in what the statement called “‘School to Work’ services.”
The legislation was passed unanimously by both houses of the Legislature in what Braun referred to as “one of the bright spots of this year’s legislative session.”
According to the statement released by Braun’s office, “In areas where students with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to such services, they are three times more likely to be employed when they leave the public school system at age 21.”
Braun sees the new law as a chance to extend pre-existing transition services into rural areas saying, “The goal of this new law is to make sure clients across our state have equitable access to these critical services, non matter where they call home.”
