A Senate bill that would make impeding a first responder a crime, won approval from the House Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 104, also known as the Halo Act, is sponsored by Sen. Matt Nunn, R-Sadieville. He said the legislation will keep first responders safer by establishing a 25-foot safety barrier while first responders are performing their official duties.

“That’s an important thing to do, because we want to make sure those first responders are safe and able to perform their duties in an efficient, effective manner,” Nunn said. “We also want to make sure the people they’re protecting and serving in that moment are safe and able to receive that care and that service protection in this efficient and effective manner.”

Nunn said law enforcement may be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of SB 104, but emergency medical service responders (EMS) would also benefit from this legislation.

“I had one EMS worker from Louisville drive from Louisville to Frankfort just to personally thank me for filing this bill,” Nunn said. “He told me about how often in the course of his duties he and the other people on his crew are interfered with or impeded while they’re just trying to provide someone with life-saving care.”

Under SB 104, a first responder would issue a verbal warning to bystanders to maintain a 25-foot distance from where the first responders are working.  

If the person violates that verbal warning with the intent to impede or interfere with a first responder’s duties, threaten the first responder with physical harm, or harass the first responder, then they could be charged with a crime, according to the bill.

Impeding a first responder would be a class B misdemeanor (with a fine of up to $250, imprisonment for up to 90 days, or both) on the first offense, a class A misdemeanor (which can include a fine of $500 and up to a year in jail, or both) on the second or third offense, and a class D felony (punishable by one to five years in prison) for each subsequent offense, according to the legislation.

The bill now heads to the House floor.

Rep. Matt Hunn, R-Sadieville, sponsored the Halo Act, legislation that will keep first responders safer by establishing a 25-foot safety barrier while performing official duties. (LRC photo)