A 8719: 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.

  
  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.