Mississippi will soon offer a statewide Blue Envelope Program, designed to foster better communication during traffic stops involving drivers on the autism spectrum.
State Sen. Nicole Akins-Boyd, R-Oxford, introduced Senate Bill 2260 and it flew through both chambers without a single dissenting vote. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation into law, marking Mississippi as the seventh state to establish a program to aid autistic drivers when pulled over by police.
“A young constituent of mine brought this to my attention and asked me to get it passed,” Akins-Boyd recounted. “Many of our young people with high-functioning autism are doing great and have jobs, but when you get stopped by a police officer, it’s a little bit intimidating. Sometimes, those officers can read that intimidation the wrong way and it can kind of make it look like [the driver] is trying to hide something or something like that.”
Under the Blue Envelope Program, drivers with autism spectrum disorder will be provided a package by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety that includes a physical blue envelope and a window cling decal indicating participation in the program. The driver will be required to place their vehicle registration information, driver’s license or permit, and a contact information card inside the envelope.
Law enforcement statewide will be trained to know what the blue envelope means and how to respond, so when the driver hands it to them, officers are aware that different communication strategies may be needed to help put the driver at ease.
“What this does is you will literally give them a blue envelope that has your information and all of that, so it eases your stress level if you’re somebody on the spectrum,” Akins-Boyd said. “It helps law enforcement, too.”
Mississippi’s Blue Envelope Program goes into effect July 1, 2025.
