H.R. 6602

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6602 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6602

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible entities 
to carry out blue envelope programs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 10, 2025

Mrs. Torres of California (for herself and Mr. Rutherford) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible entities 
to carry out blue envelope programs, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Blue Envelope Programs 
Act''.

SEC. 2. BLUE ENVELOPE GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.--The Attorney General, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (referred to in this 
section as the ``Director'') is authorized to make grants to eligible 
entities to create or support blue envelope programs.
(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Director 
shall prioritize blue envelope programs that--
(1) have scalability or a plan to continue the operation of 
the program beyond the duration of the grant award;
(2) have community support;
(3) involve multiple law enforcement agencies; and
(4) involve entities that--
(A) have demonstrated person-centered and trauma-
informed practices and actively engage individuals in 
the community with autism spectrum disorder or 
developmental, cognitive, sensory, or communication 
disabilities, who may face communication barriers 
during law enforcement encounters;
(B) have experience in providing training and 
resources to law enforcement agencies in interactions 
with such individuals; and
(C) seek the input and feedback from self-advocates 
with a variety of disabilities.
(c) Distribution.--The Director shall make every effort to ensure a 
broad geographic distribution of awards under this section and take 
into consideration the needs of underserved populations, including 
rural and tribal communities.
(d) Report.--On the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and every two years thereafter, the Director shall submit 
to Congress a report on--
(1) the implementation of the grant program under this 
section;
(2) different models and examples of blue envelope programs 
funded under this section, including trainings and materials 
used; and
(3) any best practices for blue envelope programs.
(e) Directory.--The Director shall maintain a publicly accessible 
online directory of blue envelope programs for use by members of the 
public to locate the nearest blue envelope program.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2031.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a law enforcement agency or group of law 
enforcement agencies that has a partnership a with 
nonprofit organization that is described in 
subparagraph (B) for the purpose of creating or 
supporting a blue envelope program; or
(B) a nonprofit organization--
(i) that provides services to or otherwise 
assists individuals with autism spectrum 
disorder or developmental, cognitive, sensory, 
or communication disabilities, and families of 
such individuals; and
(ii) that has a partnership with one or 
more law enforcement agencies for the purpose 
of creating or supporting a blue envelope 
program.
(2) The term ``blue envelope program'' means a program 
operated by an eligible entity--
(A) that provides training and resources for law 
enforcement officers (and may provide training for 
first responders) on improving interactions with autism 
spectrum disorder or developmental, cognitive, sensory, 
or communication disabilities;
(B) that does not have a registration component or 
participant list for participating individuals 
described in subparagraph (A);
(C) in which participation is voluntary for 
individuals described in subparagraph (A);
(D) that provides individuals described in 
subparagraph (A) with items and materials that help 
overcome communication barriers in interactions with 
law enforcement and first responders, including--
(i) blue envelopes that can be used to 
store essential documents in vehicles, such as 
identification, diagnosis information, 
communication preferences and emergency contact 
information for use during vehicle-related law 
enforcement encounters; and
(ii) other items and materials that may 
include--
(I) car decals;
(II) seatbealt covers;
(III) lanyards;
(IV) keychains;
(V) pins; and
(VI) other accessories and 
resources that can be helpful in 
overcoming communication barriers in 
interactions with law enforcement and 
first responders; and
(E) that provides education, including voluntary 
training and resources--
(i) for community members on how to safely 
interact with individuals described in 
subparagraph (A); and
(ii) for individuals described in 
subparagraph (A) on how use the items and 
materials described in subparagraph (D).
(3) The terms ``State'' and ``unit of local government'' 
have the meanings given such terms in section 901 of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10251).
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