Establishes a blue envelope program for persons with mental health disorders, behavioral disorders and persons who are neurodivergent to be provided with blue envelopes to keep their identification, vehicle registration, and other related documents to improve their safety during law enforcement interactions; requires the municipal police training council to promulgate rules and regulations requiring training and instruction for all police officers with respect to the blue envelope program.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8719
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the executive law, in
relation to establishing a blue envelope program for persons with mental
health disorders, behavioral disorders and persons who are neurodiver-
gent
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish a blue envelope program for operators and passengers of
motor vehicles who are persons with mental health or behavioral disor-
ders and persons who are neurodivergent.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the vehicle and traffic law to add a new
subdivision that establishes a Blue Envelope Program for operators and
passengers of motor vehicles who have mental health or behavioral disor-
ders or who are neurodivergent. It stipulates that the envelope -- which
is intended to carry the person's driver's license or other government
issued photo identification, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance
card, and other related documents -- has information printed on the
outside that would be useful to law enforcement and emergency services.
This information would include instructions for how to effectively
communicate, reduce stress, and ensure everyone's safety during inter-
actions with law enforcement. The bill further stipulates that the Blue
Envelope Program materials be made available by mail and at every state
and county motor vehicles office.
JUSTIFICATION:
Traffic stops by police are stressful for anyone, but especially for
drivers or passengers who are neurodivergent or who have mental health
or behavioral disorders. If a police officer is not aware of a person's
condition, the encounter can lead to misunderstandings and escalate. The
Blue Envelope Program aims to ease communication between this population
and law enforcement during traffic stops. Drivers simply put their
license, auto registration and insurance card in the envelope and when
stopped by a police officer, they let the officer know that they have a
blue envelope. The envelope has directions on both sides for the driver
and the police officer. In January 2025 the New York State Sheriffs'
Association initiated a Blue Envelope Program. This bill bolsters these
efforts statewide.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
tive date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8719
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 2, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the executive law, in
relation to establishing a blue envelope program for persons with
mental health disorders, behavioral disorders and persons who are
neurodivergent
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 200 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3 3. (a) The commissioner shall establish a blue envelope program for
4 operators and passengers of motor vehicles who suffer from mental health
5 disorders, or behavioral disorders and who are neurodivergent. For the
6 purposes of this subdivision, "neurodivergent" applies to persons
7 including, but not limited to, persons who have autism, Tourette
8 syndrome, and/or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Such
9 program shall provide durable blue envelopes to such persons. Such blue
10 envelopes shall:
11 (i) be able to contain a person's driver's license or other government
12 issued photo identification, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance
13 card, and other related documents.
14 (ii) be able to fit into the glove compartment of a motor vehicle.
15 (iii) include information regarding such persons that would be useful
16 to law enforcement and emergency services printed on the outside of the
17 envelope.
18 (iv) include instructions for how to effectively communicate, reduce
19 stress, and ensure everyone's safety during interactions with law
20 enforcement.
21 (b) The commissioner shall make blue envelope program materials avail-
22 able by mail and at every state and county motor vehicles office.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13034-05-5
A. 8719 2
1 (c) The commissioner shall not require any person requesting materials
2 from the blue envelope program to provide any medical information to
3 receive such materials. The commissioner shall not maintain any infor-
4 mation on any person who requests or receives materials from the blue
5 envelope program.
6 § 2. Section 840 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
7 subdivision 9 to read as follows:
8 9. The council shall promulgate rules and regulations requiring train-
9 ing and instruction for all police officers with respect to the blue
10 envelope program established under subdivision three of section two
11 hundred of the vehicle and traffic law. Such training shall include, but
12 not be limited to, the purpose of the envelope, general information
13 regarding mental health disorders, behavioral disorders, general infor-
14 mation regarding neurodivergence, instructions on how to communicate
15 with such individuals, instructions and techniques on stress reduction
16 when interacting with such individuals, and how to ensure everyone's
17 safety with law enforcement.
18 § 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
19 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
20 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
21 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
22 effective date.
