In 1995, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5800 to support an ongoing shift in how the state serves people with developmental disabilities. The bill recognized that the focus of state services was moving away from large institutions and toward community-based supports that help people live, work, and participate in everyday life. Lawmakers made it clear that any money saved through program reductions or efficiency improvements in the developmental disabilities system should be kept inside the system to expand community services rather than used elsewhere.

The intent of the bill was to make sure that financial savings would be used to help people who were not yet getting the services they needed. This helped reinforce a policy direction toward more inclusive, person-centered supports in neighborhoods and regular homes, rather than in segregated settings. By setting this expectation in law, the Legislature aimed to better meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and make more efficient use of public funding.

In 1995, Washington passed Senate Bill 5800 to require that savings from changes in the developmental disabilities program be reinvested in community-based services for people with developmental disabilities.