Permits person diagnosed with autism or communication disability to voluntarily make notation on driver's license, identification card, and in MVC registry; establishes program to train law enforcement officers in interactions with persons with autism or communication disabilities.

S3919

SENATE, No. 3919

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 12, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Amato and Diegnan

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits person diagnosed with autism or communication
disability to voluntarily make notation on driver�s license, identification
card, and in MVC registry; establishes program to train law enforcement
officers in interactions with persons with autism or communication
disabilities.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning persons with autism or communication
disabilities and supplementing Title 39 and Title 53 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a. � As used in this
section, �communication disability� means a condition involving an impairment
in the person�s ability to receive, send, process, or comprehend concepts or
verbal, nonverbal, or graphic symbol systems that may result in a primary
disability or may be secondary to other disabilities.

���� b.��� The Chief Administrator
of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall permit a basic driver�s license
or non-driver identification card holder to voluntarily indicate on the
holder�s basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card that the
person has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication
disability by a physician, psychologist, or any other health care professional
licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

���� The designation shall be used
by a law enforcement officer or an emergency medical professional to identify
and effectively communicate with a person who has been diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder or a communication disability and shall not be used for any
other purpose by any other person.

���� c.���� The designation
indicating that a person has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a
communication disability pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be
given a restriction code that shall be displayed on the person�s driver�s
license or non-driver identification in accordance with procedures prescribed
by the chief administrator.�

���� A holder of a basic driver�s
license or a non-driver identification card who makes a voluntary designation pursuant
to this section shall have the opportunity to remove the designation at any
time.

���� 2.��� a. � As used in this
section, �communication disability� means a condition involving an impairment
in the person�s ability to receive, send, process, or comprehend concepts or
verbal, nonverbal, or graphic symbol systems that may result in a primary
disability or may be secondary to other disabilities.

���� b.��� The Chief Administrator
of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall establish and maintain an
automated Statewide registry accessible by law enforcement officers for the
purposes of identifying and effectively communicating with a person who has
been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability by a
physician, psychologist, or any other health care professional licensed
pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

���� The chief administrator shall
permit a person diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication
disability to voluntarily report the diagnosis to the commission for inclusion
in the registry.� The registry shall be capable of storing information, which
shall include, but not limited to: �the license plate and registration
information of any motor vehicle that the person intends to regularly operate;
the emergency contact information of a person who can communicate on behalf of
the person who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a
communication disability; and any other information that may assist a law
enforcement officer when communicating with the person.�

���� c.���� The holder of a New
Jersey State basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card may
voluntarily submit information to the registry established pursuant to
subsection a. through the commission�s Internet website, by mail, or when
completing an application for a driver�s license, motor vehicle registration,
or non-driver identification card issued by the commission.

���� A holder of a New Jersey State
basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card who submits
information to the registry established pursuant to this section shall have the
opportunity to revise or update the information or be removed from the registry
at any time.

���� d.��� Information submitted
pursuant to this section shall only be available to: �

���� (1) employees of the
commission who are designated by the chief administrator to collect and
maintain the information; and

���� (2) law enforcement officers
when accessing the person�s motor vehicle records. �

���� The information shall be
exclusively used during a motor vehicle stop or other law enforcement action to
assist law enforcement officers in identifying and effectively communicating
with a person who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication
disability.

���� Any information submitted to
the commission pursuant to this section shall not be considered a government
record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), P.L.2001, c.404
(C.47:1A-5 et al.), or the common law concerning access to public records and
shall not be discoverable as a government record by any person, entity, or
governmental agency, except upon a subpoena issued by a grand jury or a court
order in a criminal matter.

���� e.���� The chief administrator
and employees of the commission who are designated by the chief administrator,
for the purposes of discharging their duties pursuant to
P.L. , c.
(C. )
(pending before the
Legislature as this bill), shall not be liable to any person for civil damages
or subject to criminal prosecution resulting from or caused by: �

���� (1) �any disruption or failure
in Internet service caused by any accident, malfunction, act of sabotage or
God, or any other condition or circumstance that the commission has not,
directly or indirectly, caused, and which prevents the holder of a New Jersey State
basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card from accessing, or
inputting information into, the registry established pursuant to this section
or which results in, or prevents, the chief administrator and designated
commission employees and law enforcement officers from accessing, establishing,
or maintaining the database;

���� (2) �any misuse of, or the
failure or omission to input accurate information, or the inputting of
inaccurate or outdated information into the registry by any holder of a New
Jersey State basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card; or

���� (3) �the inability of any law
enforcement officer to make contact, in good faith, with any designated
emergency contact person.� This limitation of liability is inapplicable if such
failure resulted from a malicious purpose or a wanton and willful disregard for
the safety of persons or property.

���� f.���� The chief administrator
may adopt, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), any rules or regulations necessary for the implementation
of
P.L. , c.
(C. )
(pending before the
Legislature as this bill).�

���� 3.��� a. �As used in this
section, �communication disability� means a condition involving an impairment
in the person�s ability to receive, send, process, or comprehend concepts or
verbal, nonverbal, or graphic symbol systems that may result in a primary
disability or may be secondary to other disabilities.

���� b.��� The Superintendent of
the Division of State Police within the Department of Law and Public Safety, in
consultation with the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission and the Commissioner of Human Services, shall develop a program to
assist and train law enforcement officers to identify and effectively
communicate with a person who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
or a communication disability by a physician, psychologist, or any other health
care professional licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes. �

���� The program shall also include
training in de-escalation methods when interacting with a person who has been
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability, proper
utilization of the registry established pursuant section 2 of
P.L. , c.
(C. )
(pending before the
Legislature as this bill), and any other information, as recommended by the
Commissioner of Human Services, that may be useful to law enforcement officers
when interacting with a person who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder or a communication disability.

���� c.���� The program established
pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be available annually to every
county and municipal law enforcement agency in this State.�

���� 4.��� a. �Sections 1 and 2 of
this act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after
enactment, but the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission may take any administrative action in advance as shall be necessary
for the timely implementation of this act.

���� b.��� Section 3 of this act
shall take effect on the first day of the thirteenth month following enactment,
but the Superintendent of the Division of State Police may take any
administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the timely
implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill concerns the
licenses, identification cards, and law enforcement officer interactions with
persons who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a
communication disability.� The bill defines �communication disability� as a
condition involving an impairment in the person�s ability to receive, send,
process, or comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal, or graphic symbol systems
that may result in a primary disability or may be secondary to other
disabilities.

���� The bill permits the holder of
a basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card to voluntarily
indicate on the license or identification card that the holder has been
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability.� The
designation is to be used by law enforcement officers or emergency medical
professionals to identify and effectively communicate with a person diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability.

���� The designation indicating
that a person has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a
communication disability is to be given a restriction code that is required to
be displayed on the person�s driver�s license or non-driver identification in
accordance with procedures prescribed by the chief administrator.� However, the
holder of a basic driver�s license or non-driver identification card who makes
the voluntary designation is required to have the opportunity to remove the
designation at any time.

���� The bill also requires the
Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission (MVC) to establish and maintain an automated Statewide registry
accessible by law enforcement officials for the purposes of identifying and
effectively communicating with a person who has been diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder or a communication disability by a physician, psychologist,
or any other health care professional.� The registry is to be capable of
storing certain information, as outlined in the bill.

���� Under the bill, a person may submit
information to the registry through the MVC�s Internet website, by mail, or
when completing an application for a driver�s license, motor vehicle
registration, or non-driver identification card.� The information provided to
the MVC for the registry is only to be accessible to employees of the
commission who are designated by the chief administrator to collect and
maintain the information and law enforcement officers during a motor vehicle
stop or other law enforcement action. �Information submitted to the MVC is not
to be subject to public disclosure under the �Open Public Records Act,� or the
common law concerning access to public records, or discoverable as a government
record by any person, entity, or governmental agency except in certain
circumstances.�

���� The bill provides for certain
limitations on civil liabilities and on criminal prosecution for the chief
administrator and MVC employees designated by the chief administrator. �However,
the bill provides that such liability limitations are to be inapplicable if
such failure resulted from a malicious purpose or a wanton and willful
disregard for the safety of persons or property.

���� Lastly, the bill establishes a
program that is to be developed by the Superintendent of the Division of State
Police, in conjunction with the chief administrator and the Commissioner of
Human Services, to assist and train law enforcement officers to identify and
effectively communicate with a person who has been diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder or a communication disability. �The program is to include
training in de-escalation methods when interacting with a person who has been
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability, proper
utilization of the registry established pursuant the bill, and any other
information, as recommended by the Commissioner of Human Services, that may be
useful to law enforcement officers when interacting with a person who has been
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a communication disability. �The
program is to be made available annually to every county and municipal law
enforcement agency in the State.