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S 2565

Allows the higher education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Leroy Comrie and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a voluntary blue envelope and training to help police interact with people with autism; envelopes hold license/registration and guidance, distributed on request.

PRINT NUMBER 2565A
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Bill Summary · S 2565

Summary — S.2565 (Printed 2565A): Blue Envelope Program to facilitate police interactions with persons with autism

Status: Introduced in the Senate (Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 7/31/2025)
Filed (text dated 7/24/2025). Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2026. Jurisdiction: Commonwealth of Massachusetts (194th General Court, 2025–2026).

Purpose

This bill creates a voluntary “blue envelope” program and related training to improve communication and reduce misunderstandings during police contacts with people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It requires law enforcement training updates to include instruction on the envelope program and directs state agencies to design and distribute the envelopes.

Key provisions

  • Adds a training requirement to G.L. c.6, §116I:
    • The municipal police training committee must develop and include instruction on the blue envelope program in its specialized training curriculum made available to all law enforcement officers, and must update/develop this instruction at least once every five years.
  • Creates a new G.L. c.6C, §56A establishing the blue envelope program:
    • The Department of State Police, in consultation with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and autism advocacy organizations (e.g., Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts), shall design the envelopes.
    • Required envelope features:
    • Written guidance on the outside about ways to enhance effective communication between an officer and a person with ASD.
    • Instructions facilitating easy access to the envelope (for example, attachment to the driver-side sun visor).
    • Capacity to hold a person’s motor vehicle operator’s license and registration.
    • The Registrar of Motor Vehicles must make blue envelopes available, upon request, to any person with ASD or that person’s parent/guardian.

Who is affected

  • People with autism spectrum disorder and their families — can request and use the envelope to convey communication needs nonverbally during traffic stops or other contacts.
  • Municipal police officers and departments — will receive required training about the program and how to use it to improve interactions with persons with ASD.
  • Department of State Police and Registrar of Motor Vehicles — responsible for designing and distributing envelopes and consulting with stakeholder groups.
  • Advocacy groups and police associations — engaged in design/consultation.

Timeline / procedural notes

  • Bill text filed 7/24/2025; listed as PRINT 2565A (printed as amended from S.2558).
  • If enacted, the statute takes effect July 1, 2026.
  • Training updates are required at least every five years; distribution of envelopes is “upon request.”

Potential impact and considerations

  • Expected benefits: easier, safer interactions between police and people with ASD; a discreet, portable tool that communicates needs and reduces miscommunication during stops.
  • Costs/administration: minor state/local costs for designing, producing, and distributing envelopes and updating training curricula.
  • Voluntary and privacy-preserving: envelopes are distributed on request and are not a mandatory identifier or database entry; bill does not create new legal privileges or enforcement penalties.
  • Implementation issues: effectiveness depends on outreach (making affected individuals aware of availability), consistent police training uptake, and design clarity (so officers promptly notice and act on guidance).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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