NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8059

Senate Bill S8059

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a blue envelope program for persons with mental health disorders, behavioral disorders and persons who are neurodivergent

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 15, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S8059 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §200, V & T L; amd §840, Exec L

2025-S8059 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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.

2025-S8059 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8059

SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
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 SPECIFIC 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:

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.

2025-S8059 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8059
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed 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:
 
   Section 1. Section 200 of the vehicle and traffic law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
   3.  (A)  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL ESTABLISH A BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM FOR
 OPERATORS AND PASSENGERS OF MOTOR VEHICLES WHO SUFFER FROM MENTAL HEALTH
 DISORDERS, OR BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS AND WHO ARE NEURODIVERGENT.  FOR  THE
 PURPOSES  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  "NEURODIVERGENT"  APPLIES  TO  PERSONS
 INCLUDING, BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  PERSONS  WHO  HAVE  AUTISM,  TOURETTE
 SYNDROME,  AND/OR  ATTENTION  DEFICIT AND HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER.   SUCH
 PROGRAM SHALL PROVIDE DURABLE BLUE ENVELOPES TO SUCH PERSONS.  SUCH BLUE
 ENVELOPES SHALL:
   (I) BE ABLE TO CONTAIN A PERSON'S DRIVER'S LICENSE OR OTHER GOVERNMENT
 ISSUED PHOTO IDENTIFICATION,  VEHICLE  REGISTRATION,  VEHICLE  INSURANCE
 CARD, AND OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS.
   (II) BE ABLE TO FIT INTO THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE.
   (III)  INCLUDE INFORMATION REGARDING SUCH PERSONS THAT WOULD BE USEFUL
 TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICES PRINTED ON THE OUTSIDE OF  THE
 ENVELOPE.
   (IV)  INCLUDE  INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE, REDUCE
 STRESS, AND  ENSURE  EVERYONE'S  SAFETY  DURING  INTERACTIONS  WITH  LAW
 ENFORCEMENT.
   (B) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL MAKE BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM MATERIALS AVAIL-
 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
 S. 8059                             2

 
   (C) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL NOT REQUIRE ANY PERSON REQUESTING MATERIALS
 FROM  THE  BLUE  ENVELOPE  PROGRAM TO PROVIDE ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION TO
 RECEIVE SUCH MATERIALS.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL NOT MAINTAIN ANY  INFOR-
 MATION  ON  ANY  PERSON WHO REQUESTS OR RECEIVES MATERIALS FROM THE BLUE
 ENVELOPE PROGRAM.
   §  2.  Section  840  of  the  executive law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 9 to read as follows:
   9. THE COUNCIL SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS REQUIRING TRAIN-
 ING AND INSTRUCTION FOR ALL POLICE OFFICERS WITH  RESPECT  TO  THE  BLUE
 ENVELOPE  PROGRAM  ESTABLISHED  UNDER  SUBDIVISION  THREE OF SECTION TWO
 HUNDRED OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW. SUCH TRAINING SHALL INCLUDE, BUT
 NOT BE LIMITED TO, THE PURPOSE  OF  THE  ENVELOPE,  GENERAL  INFORMATION
 REGARDING  MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS, GENERAL INFOR-
 MATION REGARDING NEURODIVERGENCE, INSTRUCTIONS  ON  HOW  TO  COMMUNICATE
 WITH  SUCH  INDIVIDUALS, INSTRUCTIONS AND TECHNIQUES ON STRESS REDUCTION
 WHEN INTERACTING WITH SUCH INDIVIDUALS, AND  HOW  TO  ENSURE  EVERYONE'S
 SAFETY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
   §  3. 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
 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
 effective date.

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