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WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Wednesday passed Senate Bill 906 that would prohibit the closure of White Haven State Center and Polk State Center.
The House voted 139-55 to advance the legislation. It now returns to the Senate for approval.
“This bill, as amended, does exactly what Gov. Tom Wolf and his Council on Reform should have done from the start, before moving to close these centers,” said Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township. “It corrects his mistake and ensures all avenues will be explored before making such a critical decision.”
Under S.B. 906, a moratorium would be enacted on the scheduled closing of White Haven Center in Luzerne County and Polk Center in Venango County.
The House further amended the bill to include the appointment of a task force which will evaluate the state centers and provide recommendations to the Department of Human Services prior to the closure of one or more state centers.
Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, thanked Rep. Lee James and the members of the Luzerne County House Delegation, both Republican and Democrat, who he said fought hard to advance Senate Bill 906.
“The passage of SB 906 is a significant victory for people with intellectual disabilities, the families that love them and the dedicated employees who provide loving care to them at our state centers,” Yudichak said. “I look forward to working with Sen. Michele Brooks, Sen. Scott Hutchinson, Sen. Lisa Baker and my other Senate colleagues to concur on the House amendment and send Senate Bill 906 to the governor for his signature.”
Yudichak introduced Senate Bill 906 with Brooks, R-Jamestown; Hutchinson, R-Oil City, and Baker, R-Lehman Township.
As amended by the House, the bill creates the Task Force on the Closure of State Facilities to analyze and manage the closure of any state center and prevents a closure of those centers for a minimum of five years.
“I am pleased to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle recognized the importance of protecting hundreds of residents, their families and their caregivers,” Mullery said.
Baker echoed these sentiments in a statement Wednesday.
“This is an important step toward recognizing the rights of the residents of the two institutions, their families, and the workers, who deserve a more deliberative process in deciding their future,” she stated. “There is a larger principle at stake as well. Legislators have a role in establishing, funding, and overseeing state institutions. That involvement does not suddenly terminate because a governor arbitrarily decides to pursue closure.”
State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, called Wednesday’s vote “a huge victory the White Haven Center and its residents.”
“These individuals and their families deserve to have a state center safety net. The intellectually disabled deserve a choice in the type of care and housing they are afforded,” Toohil said.
The White Haven and Polk centers serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities — 111 in the case of White Haven, many of whom have lived there for decades. White Haven also has 429 employees.
In October, Luzerne County Council declared its opposition to the White Haven State Center shutdown, passing a resolution supporting the Senate bill.