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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 21
Short Title: Drivers License Designation/Autism. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Penny and Hawkins (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
January 30, 2025
*H21-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO DIRECT THE DIVISION OF MOTOR V EHICLES TO DEVELOP A 2
DESIGNATION FOR DRIV ERS LICENSES THAT MA Y BE GRANTED UPON 3
REQUEST TO A PERSON WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 20-7 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 6
"(q3) Autism Spectrum Disorder Designation. – The Division shall develop, in consultation 7
with the Department of Public Safety, the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, 8
and Substance Use Services, and the State Highway Patrol, and pursuant to this subsection, a 9
drivers license designation that may, upon request, be granted to a person with autism spectrum 10
disorder, as defined in G.S. 58-3-192. The Division shall comply with the following requirements 11
applicable to the designation: 12
(1) At the request of a person with autism spectrum disorder, the Division shall 13
enter the designation into the electronic record associated with the person 's 14
drivers license. 15
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, a person shall be considered to have 16
autism spectrum disorder if the person provides verification or documentation 17
substantiating a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder that is recommended 18
by the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance 19
Use Services as acceptable. The Division of Motor Vehicles shall consult with 20
the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities , and Substance 21
Use Services to identify acceptable forms of verification that do not result in 22
undue burden to the person requesting the designation of autism spectrum 23
disorder. Acceptable documentation shall include any of the following: 24
a. Documentation of certification or examination by a medical, health, or 25
mental health professional showing evidence of autism spectrum 26
disorder. 27
b. Documentation deemed by the Division of Motor Vehicles to qualify 28
as satisfactory proof of the person's autism spectrum disorder. 29
(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as authorizing the issuance of a 30
drivers license to a person ineligible under G.S. 20-9. 31
(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as prohibiting the issuance of a 32
drivers license to a person otherwise eligible under the law. 33
(5) Any individual who chooses to register or not to register shall not be deemed 34
to have waived any protections under the law. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 21-First Edition
(6) Information collected under this subsection shall only be available to law 1
enforcement and only for the purpose of ensuring mutually safe interactions 2
between law enforcement and persons with autism spectrum disorder. It shall 3
not be accessed or used for any other purpose. 4
(7) The right to make the decision for inclusion or removal of the designation 5
from the database is entirely voluntary and shall only be made by the person 6
who holds the drivers license associated with the designation. 7
(8) The Division, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human 8
Services, shall develop a process for removal of the designation authorized by 9
this subsection that is available online, by mail, or in person." 10
SECTION 2. G.S. 17C-6 reads as rewritten: 11
"§ 17C-6. Powers of Commission. 12
(a) In addition to powers conferred upon the Commission elsewhere in this Article, the 13
Commission shall have the following powers, which shall be enforceable through its rules and 14
regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of G.S. 17C-10: 15
… 16
(17) Establish minimum educational and training standards for employment and 17
continuing education for criminal justice officers concerning:concerning both 18
of the following: 19
a. Recognizing and appropriately interacting with (i) persons who are 20
deaf or hard of hearing.hearing and (ii) persons with autism spectrum 21
disorder. 22
b. Drivers license and vehicle registration identifiers of (i) persons who 23
are deaf or hard of hearing, as au thorized by G.S. 20-7(q2), or (ii) 24
persons with autism spectrum disorder, as authorized by 25
G.S. 20-7(q3), including that those identifiers are optional. 26
…." 27
SECTION 3. G.S. 17E-4 reads as rewritten: 28
"§ 17E-4. Powers and duties of the Commission. 29
(a) The Commission shall have the following powers, duties, and responsibilities, which 30
are enforceable through its rules and regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of 31
G.S. 17E-8 and G.S. 17E-9: 32
… 33
(13) Establish minimum educational and training s tandards for employment and 34
continuing education for officers concerning:concerning both of the 35
following: 36
a. Recognizing and appropriately interacting with (i) persons who are 37
deaf or hard of hearing.hearing and (ii) persons with autism spectrum 38
disorder. 39
b. Drivers license and vehicle registration identifiers of (i) persons who 40
are deaf or hard of hearing, as authorized by G.S. 20-7(q2), or (ii) 41
persons with autism spectrum disorder, as authorized by 42
G.S. 20-7(q3), including that those identifiers are optional. 43
…." 44
SECTION 4. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to autism 45
spectrum disorder designation requests made on or after January 1, 2026. 46