HB752: HB752 Georgia SAFE (Support and Awareness for Fair Encounters) Act; enact

Georgia law does not currently have a standardized way to alert first responders that someone they encounter, such as during a traffic stop or medical call, has a physical, mental, or neurological condition that makes communication difficult. House Bill 752, called the Georgia SAFE (Support and Awareness for Fair Encounters) Act, directs the Department of Driver Services to create the Peach Envelope Program. The department would design a special envelope to hold a driver's license, registration, insurance proof, and an emergency contact card, with communication guidelines printed on the outside for people whose driver's license already carries a symbol showing they have a communication-impeding condition. The bill also requires firefighters, paramedics and cardiac technicians, and peace officers to receive annual training starting in 2026 on the Peach Envelope Program and best practices for these encounters. Drivers could request the license symbol by submitting a sworn statement describing their condition. The law would take effect July 1, 2025 for rulemaking purposes and January 1, 2026 for everything else.

• Creates the Peach Envelope Program at the Department of Driver Services to help drivers with communication-impeding conditions interact more safely with police and other responders.
• Requires the department to design a special envelope holding a driver's license, registration, insurance proof, and an emergency contact card, printed with communication guidelines.
• Lets any driver with a physical, mental, or neurological condition that impedes communication request a symbol on their license after submitting a sworn medical statement.
• Requires firefighters to get annual training starting in 2026 on the Peach Envelope Program and best practices for these encounters (O.C.G.A. § 25-4-10.1).
• Requires paramedic and cardiac technician training courses to cover the same topics starting in 2026 (O.C.G.A. § 31-11-52).
• Requires basic peace officer training courses to include this training starting in 2026 (O.C.G.A. § 35-8-28).

Georgia drivers with conditions that impede communication (such as autism, speech disorders, or certain neurological conditions), the Department of Driver Services, firefighters, paramedics and cardiac technicians, and peace officers who must complete new annual training on these encounters.

People with communication difficulties sometimes face confusion or danger during police stops or medical emergencies if responders misread their behavior. The bill gives drivers a way to flag their condition on their license and envelope, and requires responders to be trained on how to react, which could change how these encounters unfold.

• Section 1 names the bill the Georgia SAFE (Support and Awareness for Fair Encounters) Act.
• Section 2 adds O.C.G.A. § 25-4-10.1, requiring firefighter training courses starting in 2026 to cover the Peach Envelope Program and related best practices.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-11-52 so paramedic and cardiac technician training must include the same content beginning in 2026.
• Section 4 adds O.C.G.A. § 35-8-28, requiring peace officer basic training courses to include this training starting in 2026.
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-5-7 to establish the Peach Envelope Program, including the envelope's design, the emergency contact card, and coordination with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
• Section 6 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-5-38 to let drivers with a qualifying condition request a license symbol by submitting a sworn statement describing the condition, including whether it is temporary, intermittent, or triggered by events.
• Section 7 sets a two-stage effective date: July 1, 2025 for rulemaking, and January 1, 2026 for all other provisions.

1. 2025-03-13House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-11House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-10House Hopper (House)

• Mekyah McQueen (D, HD-061)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Arlene Beckles (D, HD-096)
• Robert Flournoy (D, HD-074)
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)

• driver's licenses
• police training
• disability accommodations
• emergency medical services
• public safety training