HARRISBURG – The PA Senate Transportation Committee passed bipartisan legislation to help protect individuals with communication barriers during interactions with law enforcement. Senate Bill 802 would allow Pennsylvanians to voluntarily include a designation on their driver’s license, state-issued ID, and PennDOT electronic records indicating a potential communication barrier. The designation would help law enforcement officers in recognizing that a person may communicate differently due to an “invisible disability,” such as deafness, autism or other conditions. Bill sponsor, Fayette County Sen. Pat Stefano said the idea for the bill originated when a constituent who is hard of hearing experienced a needlessly escalated confrontation with a police officer and asked him for a solution. Under the bill, individuals with invisible disabilities could apply for the designation free of charge, with a doctor’s sign-off, through a process similar to obtaining a handicap parking placard. The designation would appear as a symbol on the license or ID card and be noted in PennDOT’s records, alerting officers during traffic stops or other interactions. At least 32 other states have implemented similar voluntary designations. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
