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ACLU of Ohio urges rejection of amended HB 20, warns 14-foot buffer could chill speech
Summary
At a House Public Safety Committee hearing, the ACLU of Ohio opposed amended House Bill 20, arguing its 14-foot buffer and vague terms like 'disrupt' could be abused to penalize lawful speech and newsgathering; members pressed witnesses on whether existing obstructing-official-business statutes suffice.
Gary Daniels of the ACLU of Ohio told the House Public Safety Committee that the amended House Bill 20 — which would create a 14-foot buffer zone around first responders performing duties — casts too wide a net and risks infringing First Amendment rights.
"For these reasons and more, the ACLU of Ohio urges your rejection of amended House Bill 20," Daniels said, adding that the bill is unclear about how severe or sustained an interruption must be to trigger penalties.
Daniels acknowledged the bill's sponsors cite life-or-death scenarios in which buffer zones protect responders, but he emphasized that Ohio already has an…
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