“A bill to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible entities to carry out blue envelope programs, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a grant program administered by the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to enable eligible entities—law enforcement agencies partnering with specified nonprofits or such nonprofits partnering with law enforcement—to create or support blue envelope programs. A blue envelope program provides training (including crisis response and de-escalation) and resources to law enforcement officers (and optionally first responders) for improved interactions with individuals who have autism spectrum disorder or developmental, cognitive, sensory, or communication disabilities; supplies voluntary, non-registration-based items such as blue envelopes for vehicle storage of essential documents (e.g., ID, diagnosis, contacts) and accessories (e.g., car decals, lanyards); and offers community education on safe interactions. In awarding grants, the Director must prioritize programs with scalability plans, community support, multi-agency involvement, and entities demonstrating person-centered/trauma-informed practices, relevant training experience, and input from self-advocates. The Director must ensure broad geographic distribution of grants (considering rural and Tribal communities), submit biennial reports to Congress starting one year after enactment on program implementation, models, and best practices, and maintain a public online directory of programs. This section authorizes appropriations of $5 million for each of FY2027 through FY2031.