Establishes certain protections for drivers and holders of non-driver identification cards diagnosed with certain disabilities.*

The list of covered conditions expanded from only 'traumatic or acquired brain injury' to 'autism spectrum disorder, a communication disorder, or an acquired brain injury.' The term 'traumatic' was dropped from the brain injury category.

New Section 3 amends C.26:2-190 to require all EMTs in basic life support to complete training on safety considerations and recognition/response techniques for interacting with persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual or developmental disability, deafness or hearing loss, blindness or vision loss, communication disorder, or acquired brain injury. Existing EMTs must complete it within 36 months.

New Section 4 amends C.52:27D-25jj to require all firefighters (recruit, volunteer, or paid) to complete a similar training course on interacting with persons with the same range of disabilities. Existing firefighters have 36 months to comply.

New Section 5 amends C.52:17B-71.9 to require all local police officers to complete a similar training course as part of in-service training. New officers must complete it before permanent appointment; existing officers have 36 months.

New subsection d in Section 1 requires the Commissioner of Human Services and Attorney General, in consultation with the State Police Superintendent and at least one disability advocacy organization, to jointly develop written guidance for law enforcement on communicating with persons diagnosed with the covered conditions. The Attorney General must distribute it to every police department.

New subsection c in Section 1 requires the MVC Chief Administrator, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to establish documentation requirements that a person (or their parent, guardian, or caregiver) must submit to receive the license notation.

The original standalone Section 3, which required the State Police Superintendent to develop a training program available annually to every county and municipal law enforcement agency, was removed and replaced by the more specific mandatory training provisions in new Sections 3-5.

The bill title and synopsis changed from 'motor vehicle drivers with certain brain injuries' to 'protections for drivers and holders of non-driver identification cards with certain disabilities,' reflecting the broader scope.

Privacy protections for registry information were expanded to explicitly include the common law concerning access to public records, in addition to the Open Public Records Act and its 2001 amendment.

Effective date simplified from staggered dates (7 months for license/registry provisions, 13 months for training) to a single effective date of 7 months after enactment for all provisions.