Florida SB 418: Law Enforcement Officer Interactions with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bill Text

418 
Law Enforcement Officer Interactions with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
2026-03-11T14:20:34Z 
Requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to establish a program to improve communication between individuals with autism spectrum disorder and law enforcement officers under certain circumstances; requiring the department to develop and make available to individuals with autism spectrum disorder a certain envelope and card by a specified date; defining the terms “agency” and “autism spectrum disorder”; requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission within the Department of Law Enforcement to establish an employment training component relating to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, etc. 
ENROLLED 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
er 

 ENROLLED 
 2026 Legislature SB 418, 1st Engrossed 

 2026418er 
 1 
 2 An act relating to law enforcement officer 
 3 interactions with individuals with autism spectrum 
 4 disorder; creating s. 320.021, F.S.; requiring the 
 5 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to 
 6 establish a program to improve communication between 
 7 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and law 
 8 enforcement officers under certain circumstances; 
 9 requiring the department to develop and make available 
 10 to individuals with autism spectrum disorder a certain 
 11 envelope and card by a specified date; providing 
 12 requirements for the envelope and card; authorizing 
 13 individuals with autism spectrum disorder to request 
 14 the envelope and card from the department or a tax 
 15 collector’s office beginning on a specified date; 
 16 amending s. 943.1727, F.S.; defining the terms 
 17 “agency” and “autism spectrum disorder”; requiring the 
 18 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission 
 19 within the Department of Law Enforcement to establish 
 20 an employment training component relating to 
 21 individuals with autism spectrum disorder; providing 
 22 requirements for training law enforcement officers on 
 23 interacting with individuals with autism spectrum 
 24 disorder; requiring the training component to be 
 25 included in a specified course by a specified date; 
 26 requiring specified law enforcement officers to 
 27 complete the training component by a specified date; 
 28 providing an effective date. 
 29 
 30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 31 
 32 Section 1. Section 320.021, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 33 read: 
 34 320.021 Blue envelope and blue card program.— 
 35 (1) The department shall establish a blue envelope and blue 
 36 card program for the purpose of improving communication between 
 37 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and law enforcement 
 38 officers. 
 39 (2)(a) By January 1, 2027, the department shall develop and 
 40 make available to individuals with autism spectrum disorder a 
 41 blue envelope that is intended to hold a copy of an individual’s 
 42 driver license and his or her vehicle registration, proof of 
 43 insurance, and emergency contact information, and a blue card, 
 44 which envelope or card may be provided by an individual with 
 45 autism spectrum disorder to a law enforcement officer during an 
 46 interaction with the law enforcement officer. 
 47 (b) The exterior of the blue envelope must identify the 
 48 individual as an individual with autism spectrum disorder and 
 49 include communication guidelines intended to assist law 
 50 enforcement officers during interactions with drivers with 
 51 autism spectrum disorder. 
 52 (c) The blue card may be digital or a durable, wallet-sized 
 53 card and must identify the individual as an individual with 
 54 autism spectrum disorder and include communication guidelines 
 55 intended to assist law enforcement officers during interactions 
 56 with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. 
 57 (3) Beginning January 1, 2027, an individual with autism 
 58 spectrum disorder may request a blue envelope, blue card, or 
 59 both a blue envelope and blue card from the department or a tax 
 60 collector’s office. 
 61 Section 2. Section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is amended 
 62 to read: 
 63 943.1727 Continued Employment training relating to autism 
 64 spectrum disorder.— 
 65 (1) As used in this section, the term: 
 66 (a) “Agency” means the ability to make independent 
 67 decisions and act in one’s own best interests. 
 68 (b) “Autism spectrum disorder” has the same meaning as in 
 69 s. 627.6686(2). 
 70 (2) The commission department shall establish an a 
 71 continued employment training component relating to individuals 
 72 with autism spectrum disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The 
 73 training component shall include, but need not be limited to, 
 74 instruction on the recognition of the symptoms and 
 75 characteristics of an individual on the autism disorder spectrum 
 76 and appropriate responses to an individual exhibiting such 
 77 symptoms and chara