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Committee hears ‘HALO Act’ to keep 25-foot buffer around first responders; members seek clearer language
Summary
The committee heard House Bill 390, authorizing criminal penalties when people impede or harass first responders within a 25-foot perimeter at active emergency scenes. Supporters called it a preventative measure; members and civil liberty advocates raised concerns about vague language and overlap with existing obstruction laws.
The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on House Bill 390 — the HALO Act — which would create a criminal offense for knowingly impeding, interfering with or harassing public-safety personnel within a 25-foot perimeter of an active scene.
Representative Tim Fleming introduced the proposal and called it a public-safety measure drafted with the Fraternal Order of Police. "What it does is it enacts a 25 foot perimeter around public safety personnel when they are on an active scene or emergency, to keep people 25 feet away from them so they can perform their duties," Ken Davis of the Fraternal Order of Police told the committee.
Supporters described the bill as preventive: by defining clear space around officers, emergency medical technicians and…
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