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Committee hears bill to create 14-foot buffer around emergency scenes
Summary
Sponsors told the House Public Safety Committee that House Bill 20 would give first responders a 14-foot ‘halo’ at emergency scenes and make violating that buffer a misdemeanor; members debated definitions, enforcement, overlap with existing obstruction statutes and possible amendments.
Representatives Thomas Hall and Phil Plummer introduced House Bill 20 in the House Public Safety Committee, asking lawmakers to create a 14-foot buffer zone around emergency scenes and to make knowingly refusing to yield that space a misdemeanor.
The bill, sponsors said, is intended to protect police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel who arrive at high-risk scenes and may not have time to set a perimeter. "This legislation is simply providing the first the first responders the ability and opportunity to do their jobs more effectively and remain focused on the incident at hand," Representative Thomas Hall said. Representative Phil Plummer added, "Just…
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