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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 20, 2023 12:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Melissa Cerrato and Rep. Joe Webster |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Communication Impairment License Designations for Autistic, Deaf, and Hard of Hearing Drivers |
| Traffic stops can be difficult experiences when a driver or passenger has an auditory processing disorder or a developmental disability like autism spectrum disorder. Individuals with autism can experience sensory overload resulting from loud noises, bright lights and being touched. Blaring sirens, loud vocal commands, and a fast approach from an officer could make people with autism anxious and cause them to behave in ways officers might find unusual or threatening. These miscommunications have already led to tragic outcomes for these innocent individuals, resulting in loss of life, avoidable injuries, and trauma experienced by both officers, drivers, and communities. To address this, and provide a way of avoiding these miscommunications, we will be introducing legislation that would create an optional designation for vehicle registrations, driver’s licenses, and state issued photo identification cards for individuals who wish to voluntarily disclose that they, or someone who regularly occupies their vehicle, have a ‘communication impairment’. The designation would help ensure better, safer encounters between first responders and those with communication impairments – including individuals who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or autistic. This designation would not be physically visible on a registration, license, or ID card, and instead would only be visible to law enforcement officers when they run their registration or ID through the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Information Network (CLEAN). Similar legislation has been or enacted in 17 other states, including recent enactments in Virginia, Texas, Michigan, Florida and Louisiana. Advocates of the autism and deaf and hard of hearing communities have lauded these programs for helping to bridge communication gaps between officers and people living with disabilities. This legislation is a companion bill to Senator Boscola and Senator Collett’s Senate Bill 932. We look forward to your support in promoting safer interactions between first responders and those with communication impairments. |
Introduced as HB1811