HB0365 • 2026

Law Enforcement Officer Interactions with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Judiciary Committee ; Criminal Justice Subcommittee ; Valdés ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Antone ; Barnaby ; Bartleman ; Basabe ; Chaney ; Franklin ; Gottlieb ; Harris ; Hart-Lowman ; López, J. ; Maggard ; Maney ; Mooney ; Nixon ; Plakon ; Spencer ; Stark ; Tant
Last action: 2026-03-10
Official status: House - Laid on Table, refer to SB 418
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies 'copies' for items in the blue envelope, whereas the candidate explanation implied originals; this was corrected to match the statute.

Law Enforcement Interactions with Individuals on the Autism Spectrum

This law creates a blue envelope and card program to help people with autism spectrum disorder communicate with police, while requiring new training for Florida law enforcement officers.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to create a 'blue envelope' and 'blue card' program starting January 1, 2027.
Allows individuals with autism spectrum disorder to request these items from DHSMV or tax collector offices beginning on that date.
Requires the blue envelope to hold copies of driver licenses, vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and emergency contact information while displaying communication guidelines for officers on its exterior.
Defines a 'blue card' as either digital or durable wallet-sized material that identifies the individual's condition and includes communication guidelines.
Requires the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to create training about interacting with individuals who have autism spectrum disorder.
Sets deadlines requiring all new officer trainees to complete this instruction by July 1, 2028, and current certified officers to finish it by July 1, 2030.

Who It Names or Affects

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder who wish to request the blue envelope or card.
Law enforcement officers in Florida who must complete new training requirements.
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) which must develop and distribute the program materials.

Terms To Know

Blue envelope: A specific holder for copies of a driver's license, vehicle registration, insurance proof, and emergency contacts that identifies the owner as having autism spectrum disorder.
Agency: The ability to make independent decisions and act in one's own best interests.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not state whether individuals are required by law to carry or show the blue envelope or card during police stops.
The text defines what must be included in training but does not specify how many hours of instruction are needed for this specific topic.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

339529

Committee amendment H 365 Filed • Valdés

Adopted 2/12/2026

Plain English: This amendment sets specific rules for when and how police officers must be trained on interacting with people who have autism spectrum disorder.

Police training must cover recognizing autism symptoms, safe interview techniques, finding missing individuals, de-escalation methods, and understanding the 'blue envelope' program.
New recruits must complete this training as part of their basic skills course by July 1, 2028.
All currently certified officers must finish this training by July 1, 2030.
The training counts toward the required hours for keeping a job or getting hired as an officer.

The text refers to specific state laws (like s. 627.6686 and s. 943.135) that define autism spectrum disorder, but the full details of those definitions are not included in this amendment.
While the amendment lists many training topics, it does not specify exactly how long each topic must be taught or who is allowed to teach them.

916459

Committee amendment H 365 c1 • Gottlieb

Adopted 2/26/2026

Plain English: This amendment creates a new program where people with autism can get special blue envelopes or cards to help police officers understand how to communicate with them, while also requiring specific training for law enforcement.

The state must create and offer free 'blue envelope' kits and 'blue card' options that identify the holder as having autism spectrum disorder by January 1, 2027.
These blue envelopes or cards will include communication guidelines to help police officers interact safely with individuals who have autism during traffic stops or other encounters.
Law enforcement training must now cover how to recognize autism symptoms, interview people with autism legally, find those who may be lost, and de-escalate dangerous situations.
Police officers are required to learn the difference between behaviors caused by autism spectrum disorder and actions that might seem belligerent or uncooperative.

The provided text cuts off at line 92, so it is unclear if there were additional details about how individuals request these items beyond tax collector offices.
The exact design of the blue envelope and card is not described in detail other than requiring identification labels and communication guidelines.

Bill History

2026-03-10 House
• Laid on Table, refer to SB 418
2026-03-02 House
• Bill referred to House Calendar • Added to Second Reading Calendar
2026-02-26 House
• Favorable with CS by Judiciary Committee • Reported out of Judiciary Committee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2)
2026-02-24 House
• Favorable by Budget Committee • Reported out of Budget Committee • Now in Judiciary Committee • Added to Judiciary Committee agenda
2026-02-20 House
• Added to Budget Committee agenda
2026-02-13 House
• Referred to Budget Committee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Budget Committee • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
2026-02-12 House
• Favorable with CS by Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Reported out of Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed
2026-02-10 House
• Added to Criminal Justice Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-11-18 House
• Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee • Referred to Budget Committee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
2025-11-05 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Law Enforcement Officer Interactions with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Requires DHSMV to establish program to improve communication between individuals with autism spectrum disorder & law enforcement officers under certain circumstances; requires DHSMV to develop & make available to such individuals certain envelope & card by specified date; provides requirements for envelope & card; authorizes such individuals to request envelope & card from DHSMV or tax collector's office beginning on specified date; requires Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission within FDLE to establish employment training component relating to such individuals; provides requirements for training law enforcement officers on interacting with such individuals; requires training component to be included in specified course by specified date; requires specified law enforcement officers to complete training component by specified date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

CS/CS/HB 365 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb365-02-c2
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to law enforcement officer 2
interactions with individuals with autism spectrum 3
disorder; creating s. 320.021, F.S.; requiring the 4
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to 5
establish a program to improve communication between 6
individuals with autism spectrum disorder and law 7
enforcement officers under certain circumstances; 8
requiring the department to develop and make available 9
to individuals with autism spectrum disorder a certain 10
envelope and card by a specified date; providing 11
requirements for the envelope and card; authorizing 12
individuals with autism spectrum disorder to request 13
the envelope and card from the department or a tax 14
collector's office beginning on a specified date; 15
amending s. 943.1727, F.S.; defining the terms 16
"agency" and "autism spectrum disorder"; requiring the 17
Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission 18
within the Department of Law Enforcement to establish 19
an employment training component relating to 20
individuals with autism spectrum disorder; providing 21
requirements for training law enforcement officers on 22
interacting with individuals with autism spectrum 23
disorder; requiring the training component to be 24
included in a specified course by a specified date; 25

CS/CS/HB 365 2026

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hb365-02-c2
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

requiring specified law enforcement officers to 26
complete the training component by a specified date; 27
providing an effective date. 28
29
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 30
31
Section 1. Section 320.021, Florida Statutes, is created 32
to read: 33
320.021 Blue envelope and blue card program.— 34
(1) The department shall establish a blue envelope and 35
blue card program for the purpose of improving communication 36
between individuals with autism spectrum disorder and law 37
enforcement officers. 38
(2)(a) By January 1, 2027, the department shall develop 39
and make available to individuals with autism spectrum disorder 40
a blue envelope that is intended to hold a copy of an 41
individual's driver license and his or her vehicle registration, 42
proof of insurance, and emergency contact information, and a 43
blue card, which envelope or card may be provided by an 44
individual with autism spectrum disorder to a law enforcement 45
officer during an interaction with the law enforcement officer. 46
(b) The exterior of the blue envelope must identify the 47
individual as an individual with autism spectrum disorder and 48
include communication guidelines intended to assist law 49
enforcement officers during interactions with drivers with 50

CS/CS/HB 365 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

autism spectrum disorder. 51
(c) The blue card may be digital or a durable, wallet-52
sized card and must identify the individual as an individual 53
with autism spectrum disorder and include communication 54
guidelines intended to assist law enforcement officers during 55
interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. 56
(3) Beginning January 1, 2027, an individual with autism 57
spectrum disorder may request a blue envelope, blue card, or 58
both a blue envelope and blue card from the department or a tax 59
collector's office. 60
Section 2. Section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is amended 61
to read: 62
943.1727 Continued Employment training relating to autism 63
spectrum disorder.— 64
(1) As used in this section, the term: 65
(a) "Agency" means the ability to make independent 66
decisions and act in one's own best interests. 67
(b) "Autism spectrum disorder" has the same meaning as in 68
s. 627.6686(2). 69
(2) The commission department shall establish an a 70
continued employment training component relating to individuals 71
with autism spectrum disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The 72
training component shall include, but need not be limited to, 73
instruction on the recognition of the symptoms and 74
characteristics of an individual on the autism disorder spectrum 75

CS/CS/HB 365 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

and appropriate responses to an individual exhibiting such 76
symptoms and characteristics. Completion of the training 77
component counts may count toward the 40 hours of instruction 78
for continued employment or appointment as a law enforcement 79
officer required under s. 943.135. 80
(3) The employment training component for law enforcement 81
officers which relates to interaction with individuals with 82
autism spectrum disorder must include in-person instruction for 83
initial certification and online instruction for continued 84
employment training or education required under s. 943.135(1) in 85
all of the following: 86
(a) The nature and manifestation of autism spectrum 87
disorder. 88
(b) Techniques for interviewing or interrogating an 89
individual with autism spectrum disorder, including techniques 90
to ensure the legality of statements made by the individual and 91
techniques used to protect the rights of the individual. 92
(c) Techniques for locating an individual with autism 93
spectrum disorder who has run away and is in danger and for 94
returning that individual while causing as little stress as 95
possible to the individual. 96
(d) Techniques for recognizing the agency of an individual 97
with autism spectrum disorder while identifying potential 98
abusive or coercive situations. 99
(e) Techniques for de-escalating a potentially dangerous 100

CS/CS/HB 365 2026

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situation to maximize the safety of both the officer and the 101
individual with autism spectrum disorder. 102
(f) Techniques for differentiating an individual with 103
autism spectrum disorder from an individual who is belligerent, 104
uncooperative, or otherwise displaying traits similar to the 105
characteristics of an individual with autism spectrum disorder 106
and for understanding the law as it relates to the use of the 107
Baker Act on an individual with autism spectrum disorder. 108
(g) The impact of an interaction with officers on 109
individuals with autism spectrum disorder. 110
(h) Information about the blue envelope and blue card 111
program established under s. 320.021 and the "SAFE" designation 112
included in the motor vehicle record pursuant to s. 320.02(15). 113
(4)(a) By July 1, 2028, each basic skills course required 114
for law enforcement officers to obtain initial certification, as 115
required under s. 943.13(9), must incorporate such training 116
component. Such training component may be taught as part of 117
other relevant components of the training. 118
(b) Each certified law enforcement officer must 119
successfully complete such training component as part of the 120
basic recruit training required under s. 943.13(9) or as part of 121
continued training or education required under s. 943.135(1) by 122
July 1, 2030. 123
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 124