‘Love on the Spectrum’ star pushes GA for new law to protect autistic drivers

Connor Tomlinson from the Netflix series, ‘Love on The Spectrum,’ spoke to the Georgia General Assembly to advocate for Senate Bill 433, also known as “Rio’s Law.” This bill aims at reducing dangerous encounters between law enforcement and people with autism or developmental disabilities.

Tomlinson is a fan favorite on the series that follows autistic adults navigating relationships and his support helped push the bill through the assembly with unanimous support.

He told the Georgia Recorder, “The sad truth is there is in fact a world of autistic people out there who are seriously misunderstood and oftentimes taken for offenders. I merely seek to help rectify that.”

The bill now on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk and will automatically become law if not signed by May 13.

What is Rio’s Law?

The bill has two main components that hope to escalate situations between police and those with autism or other development impairments.

The bill will require nonprofit organizations to work with the Georgia Department of Community Health to provide training resources to law enforcement and applicants must obtain medical certification verifying eligibility.

A specialty plate

• Establishes a voluntary specialty license plate for affected individuals
• Plates are also available to spouses, parents, or legal guardians
• Goal is alert police that someone may not react as expected

Officer training

• Educates in best practices for recognizing behavioral characteristics
• Teaches alternatives to physical restraints
• How to contact a caregiver when needed during emergencies

Why Georgia needs Rio’s Law

Approximately 170,000 Georgia residents are impacted by developmental disabilities, including autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and autism affects about 1 in 44 people, from 1 year olds to 8 year olds statewide, based on CDC data from 2018.

A 2019 Autism Speaks study conducted by of autistic adults with few support needs found 53% had four or more police interactions in their lifetime and yet another suggests that of those encounters about 20% resulted in the use of restraints. Communication differences, stimming, and other autistic behaviors can be misread by officers, which can worsen outcomes

The bill is named after a South Carolina boy with autism whose mother, Layla Luna, advocated for a similar law after a difficult traffic stop.