BILL NUMBER: S5169

SPONSOR: MANNION
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the state law, in relation to establishing the state
flag for raising awareness of neurodiversity

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to designate a State flag for neurodiversity
to raise awareness to the issue of neurodiversity.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill would designate the "Neurodiversity Flag" as the
official state flag for the raising of awareness of neurodiversity and
require that such flag shall be developed by the Autism Spectrum Disor-
ders Advisory Board.

Section 2 of this bill provides that the effective date shall take
effect immediately.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Enfranchisement for individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabil-
ities (I/DD) and the expansion of civil liberties occurred in 1990 with
the Americans with Disabilities Act, which enshrined the rights of the
disabled into law. Millions of Americans with I/DD were fmally able to
live without fear of being denied access to a meaningful life, including
work opportunities, education, or transportation, because of their iden-
tity.

The term neurodiversity was coined in the late 1990s to refer to the
fact that individuals with I/DD have a different, but equally normal,
way of perceiving the world. While the topic of neurodiversity has
become more prevalent in the past thirty years, there is still much work
to be done. Neurodivergent individuals still experience significant
social isolation, bullying, harassment, and other forms of ostracization
due to harmful stereotypes present in society.

Establishing a State flag for raising awareness of neurodiversity would
further the progress that has been made in the past three decades. By
developing and designating an official Neurodiversity Flag, the State
would be signaling its continued allyship for individuals with I/DD.
This flag would act as a symbol for a critical movement and a beacon of
steadfast support for neurodivergent individuals not only in the State,
but in the rest of the United States and the world at large.

Symbols have a powerful place in society and there is meaning imbued in
each wave of color and flap of the wind. Flags symbolize movements, and
this movement, the movement for equality of rights for those who are
neurodiverse, deserves a symbol. There are people in the State who are
neurodiverse; they are your family, friends, colleagues, and strangers
on the street. Society has long treated individuals who are neurodiverse
as second-class citizens. A flag can do much to change the attitude of
those unfamiliar with the struggles of the neurodiverse and would foster
great pride in the neurodiverse community. This bill would designate a

State flag for neurodiversity to raise awareness to the issue of neuro-
diversity.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.