Halo Act advances from House committee March 17, 2026 Sen. Matt Nunn, R-Sadieville, speaks on Senate Bill 104 during Tuesday’s House Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee meeting. The bill would enforce a 25-foot safety barrier for first responders. A high-res version is available here. FRANKFORT — A Senate bill that would make impeding a first responder a crime advanced 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 on the first offense, a class A misdemeanor on the second or third offense, and a class D felony for each subsequent offense, according to the legislation. Rep. Steve Bratcher, R-Elizabethtown, asked Nunn how he determined 25-feet should be the minimum barrier between first responders and bystanders. Nunn said that distance is the standard based on research into similar laws in other states. In addition to police, fire and EMS personnel, SB 104 includes a probation or parole officer, a university police officer and an airport police officer in its definition of first responder. Rep. Adam Moore, D-Lexington, said he doesn’t think of a probation or parole officer as typical first responder. Nunn disagreed. “There are instances where they are performing their official duties and they have been interfered with, so we just want to make sure we widen it to protect people who are performing their duties, but also the people who are receiving that service in the moment,” Nunn said. Moore said he also has concerns how the bill may impact a person’s ability to record law enforcement if a law enforcement officer or agency considers recording law enforcement activity as harassment. SB 104 defines harassment as “means to intentionally engage in a course of conduct directed at a first responder which causes or is intended to cause substantial emotional distress in the first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.” “If law enforcement officers, especially if ICE is in Kentucky and operating, and they’re being recorded peacefully by just a cell phone that we all have in our pocket, would that be viewed as harassment under this law?” Moore asked. Nunn said it would be up to the officer, but bystanders could still have the option to record law enforcement activity from a distance. “In that instance, it’s the officer’s judgement, and I would say in that instance the person should step away 25 feet and record from a 25-foot distance,” Nunn said. “And all of our cameras nowadays are strong enough that you can get a good image from 25 feet away.” Nunn said bystanders who feel an officer has given them an inappropriate instruction, can get the officer’s name and badge number and report the officer to their supervisor. Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, thanked Nunn for filing SB 104, and said the legislation is especially needed in a time when many people are more concerned about posting a video on the internet for fame than helping people in need. “This is just common sense. Let first responders do their job,” Blanton said, adding if someone feels the need to record video, do it from 25 feet away. SB 104 is now before the full House for consideration after receiving a 12-1 vote with one pass vote. The post Halo Act advances from House committee appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less