Maryland’s newest enacted legislation took effect October 1, 2025, including “Eric’s Law,” a new provision intended to create safety for individuals with nonapparent disabilities during encounters with law enforcement.[1] After George Floyd was killed in 2020, Linda Carpenter-Grantham warned her son Eric how to act in the event of an encounter with police, expressing even greater concern on account of the fact that Eric had autism.[2] Concerned for others with similar disabilities, Eric thought it would be beneficial if law enforcement could quickly identify if they were dealing with a person with autism or an equally invisible condition.[3] Recognizing that people with nonapparent disabilities sometimes have difficulties with being touched or subjected to loud noises, Eric realized that that difficulty combined with the inherent tension of a law enforcement encounter, placed people with autism at greater risk in their interactions with police.[4] He and his mother made finding a solution to this problem their mission, and after two years of fighting for change, it came in the form of the passage of Eric’s Law.[5]

Eric’s law will allow individuals with nonapparent disabilities – defined as a disability that is not immediately obvious or visible, whether developmental or intellectual[6] — to obtain a motor vehicle license, moped license, or identification card that includes a symbol indicating that its bearer has a nonapparent disability.[7] Moving forward, applications and renewals for these forms of identification will allow the applicant to indicate their disability status.[8]

There will be no fee to obtain a license of this nature, nor can an application be denied on the basis that the applicant indicated their disability.[9] The applicant does not need to prove the existence of the disability to the administration prior to their application being approved; and at any time, the applicant may request the nonapparent disability indicator be removed from their identification and that the record of their request be deleted.[10] Finally, the law requires training for law enforcement officers on how to better meet the needs of members of the community with these invisible disabilities.[11]

The nonapparent disability notation on the identification cards will take the form of a butterfly, a symbol Eric chose as a representation of “hope, peace, freedom, and change” and one that “represents all hidden disabilities.”[12] Already, those values Eric sought to embody are being reflected: the bill’s passage was met with applause in the House,[13] the Motor Vehicle Administration praises the bill’s simplicity while promoting safety and privacy,[14] and law enforcement officers cite Eric’s Law as a notable collaboration between the community, their elected representatives, and law enforcement.[15]

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Dillan Moore is a third-year student at the University of Baltimore School of Law and serves as an Associate Editor for Law Forum.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dillan is currently a Law Clerk at Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz, & Solter in Towson. After graduation, Dillan plans to return to his hometown of Reno to represent small business owners in his community.

[1]  Hannah Hoffman, New Laws: Speed Camera Fines, Eric’s Law, Second Look Act Take Effect Oct. 1 in Maryland, WBALTV11 (Oct. 1, 2025, 3:12 PM), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/new-laws-marylandspeeding- fines-erics-law-second-look-act-oct-1/68135767 (on file with the University of Baltimore Law Forum).

[2] Liberty Simmons, ‘I Feel Like it’s Going to Change the World’: Maryland IDs Could Soon Feature Butterflies for Those with Hidden Disabilities, DC News Now (Apr. 16, 2025, 5:51 PM), https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/i-feel-like-its-going-to-change-the-worldmaryland-ids-could-soon-feature-butterflies-for-those-with-hidden-disabilities/ (on file with the University of Baltimore Law Forum).

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.; William J. Ford, ‘Hidden’ Disabilities Step into the Spotlight as Driver’s License Bill Moves Closer to Becoming Law, Maryland Matters (Mar. 8, 2025, 3:10 AM), https://marylandmatters.org/2025/03/08/hidden-disabilities-step-into-the-spotlight-as-drivers-license-billmoves-closer-to-becoming-law/ (on file with the University of Baltimore Law Forum).

[6] H.B. 707, 2025 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Md. 2025).

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Id.

[11] Id.

[12] Ford, supra note 5.

[13] Id.

[14] Hoffman, supra note 1.

[15] Ford, supra note 5; see also William J. Ford, Hidden No More: Butterflies on Licenses, ID Cards Alert Police to Hidden Disabilities, Maryland Matters (Oct. 1, 2025, 11:19 PM), https://marylandmatters.org/2025/10/01/hidden-no-more-butterflies-on-licenses-id-cards-alert-police to-hidden-disabilities/ (on file with the University of Baltimore Law Forum).