A bill meant to help alert law enforcement about a subject’s “invisible condition” — like autism or diabetes — easily passed through the Legislature this session and is on the way to the governor’s desk for approval.

Lawmakers hope the bill will save lives by notifying authorities of someone’s condition that may explain otherwise concerning behavior, such as not listening to an officers’ commands or behaving erratically.

When officers misunderstand these behaviors, that can lead to “tragic outcomes,” floor sponsor Rep. Steve Eliason, R- Sandy, told House members during discussion of the bill on Feb. 28. A Salt Lake Tribune database of police shootings found that between 2010 and 2020, more than 40% of shootings involved someone with a mental health condition or who was in mental crisis.

Under this bill, co-sponsor Sen. Jacob Anderegg said a decal or information integrated into the systems police already use to check for warrants or criminal history could tell an officer about that condition and change their approach so “training kicks in for de-escalation or a different intervention than what might be standard,” Anderegg, R-Lehi, said in a Feb. 23 committee hearing.

Anderegg and Eliason modeled the proposal after a program already in place in Indiana. Ogden and Clearfield have also already enacted similar programs, according to Paul Ray, a former representative and current Department of Health and Human Services assistant director, who spoke in support of the bill as a private citizen while it was in committee.

The bill would allow someone to register their condition with the state and affix a decal to their car and/or add a marker to their state-issued ID that makes known their diagnosis.

It also creates a form to register an invisible condition in law enforcement’s record management or computer-aided dispatch system, so any time any officer or dispatcher inputs that person’s name or address into those systems, authorities would be notified of the condition. There’s no requirement individuals participate in the program.

“My goal was to try to provide a tool and solution such that people who were concerned for their loved ones could pre-engage and make sure that, as much as possible, that our first responders had the information and the tools necessary so that their loved ones could come home,” Anderegg said.

The bill comes after Salt Lake City police shot and severely wounded a 13-year-old autistic boy whose mother called police seeking help for her son who was in crisis that night in September 2020. Golda Barton told them her son, Linden Cameron, was afraid of police officers and that she feared he would run away. Linden’s grandfather had been shot and killed by police in Nevada earlier that year. The boy was unarmed and ran from officers who had given him commands to get on the ground.

Salt Lake City police recently agreed to pay $3 million to the family to settle an excessive force lawsuit. They’ve also since partnered with KultureCity, an organization that trains first responders to handle interactions with people with sensory needs, like Linden.

People with PTSD, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other conditions may also have trouble responding to sensory input, such as police lights and sirens and shouting, according to KultureCity.

Anderegg alluded to Linden’s case during a committee hearing, although it’s unclear how this bill could have helped in Linden’s case, since Barton had already disclosed his condition and triggers. Still, lawmakers shared personal anecdotes during the Feb. 23 hearing and said a preemptive notification system gave them peace of mind.

Rep. Marsha Judkins, R-Provo, said a family member with autism and diabetes was once pulled over for driving erratically. He was on the verge of coma because of his blood sugar, she said, but the officer didn’t know that and took the man to jail. He ultimately was hospitalized, she said.

“I think this would be extremely helpful for people in those situations,” Judkins said.

During that same meeting, Eliason also shared that his daughter had an invisible condition. He said he has worried how police might perceive his daughter “if there’s a split-second decision that had to be made.”

“I think this is a small step to protect both law enforcement, and give them additional tools, as well as give individuals who have an invisible condition, disability, the option to make that known to help further the information that’s out there,” Eliason said.

In addition to the registration option, this bill also allocates some money to the Department of Health and Human Services to do outreach to make institutions and individuals aware of the program.

The proposal passed both legislative chambers and was sent Wednesday for enrolling.