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| | HB4472 Engrossed | | LRB104 16524 SPS 29920 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning State government.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Secretary of State Act is amended by adding |
| 5 | | Section 38 as follows:
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| 6 | | (15 ILCS 305/38 new) |
| 7 | | Sec. 38. Blue Envelope Program. |
| 8 | | (a) The Secretary of State, in consultation with a |
| 9 | | nonprofit organization that advocates for autistic individuals |
| 10 | | in this State, shall establish a program to be known as the |
| 11 | | Blue Envelope Program through which the Office of the |
| 12 | | Secretary of State shall design and make publicly available |
| 13 | | blue envelopes that may be used by individuals who have been |
| 14 | | diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to hold documents |
| 15 | | required for the operation of a motor vehicle, including, but |
| 16 | | not limited to, the individual's driver's license and |
| 17 | | insurance card. |
| 18 | | (b) The envelopes designed and made publicly available |
| 19 | | under subsection (a) shall: |
| 20 | | (1) provide written information on the outside of the |
| 21 | | envelope that identifies the holder of the envelope as an |
| 22 | | individual who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum |
| 23 | | disorder; |
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| | HB4472 Engrossed | - 2 - | LRB104 16524 SPS 29920 b |
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| 1 | | (2) provide written guidance to assist law enforcement |
| 2 | | officers in effectively communicating with an individual |
| 3 | | who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder; and |
| 4 | | (3) include an area on the envelope where the |
| 5 | | individual may provide emergency contact information. |
| 6 | | (c) The Office of the Secretary of State shall make the |
| 7 | | envelopes designed under subsection (a) publicly available at |
| 8 | | Driver Services facilities and the Illinois State Library. |
| 9 | | Upon request, the Secretary shall distribute the developed |
| 10 | | envelopes to State and local law enforcement agencies, fire |
| 11 | | departments, and libraries. |
| 12 | | (d) An individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder |
| 13 | | may voluntarily participate in the program established under |
| 14 | | this Section. Any information provided on the outside of the |
| 15 | | envelope shall be used solely to support safe and effective |
| 16 | | communication during interactions with first responders and |
| 17 | | law enforcement officers and shall not be entered into any |
| 18 | | federal, State, or local database. This subsection shall not |
| 19 | | be construed to prohibit the issuance of a citation under |
| 20 | | Section 6-308 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. |
| 21 | | (e) The Secretary of State may adopt rules to implement |
| 22 | | and administer this Section. |