Kemp Signs Autism Traffic Stop Bill, Police Benefits Increases into Law
Friday, May 8th, 2026
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When people with autism get pulled over in Georgia, the police officer who stops their vehicle may soon have special training to reduce the risk of a misunderstanding that can escalate into a confrontation.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed “Rio’s Law,” named after a boy with autism whose mother, Layla Luna, advocated for a similar law that passed in South Carolina after a difficult traffic stop.
Senate Bill 433, by Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, creates a specialty license plate for people with autism or a developmental disability. It also requires that basic training courses for police include techniques for recognizing people with those conditions and for communicating effectively with them and employing alternatives to physical restraints.
Kemp signed that bill with nearly a dozen other public safety measures, including one for an increase in state contributions to police 401(k) plans (Senate Bill 452), another to reopen the application window for benefits for officers with a brain injury (House Bill 1128) and one that addresses a shortfall in the Peace Officers Annuity Board and allows for higher monthly benefits (Senate Bill 285).
“The Kemp family will always back the blue,” Kemp said in a statement, “and I’m proud to sign legislation today that ensures they are supported throughout their careers of service and into retirement.”
Kemp also signed Senate Bill 547, another by Strickland, which elevates pimping and pandering to a felony on the first offense rather than a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.


