Establishes the offense of impeding, threatening, or harassing a first responder

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1930
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE SCHMIDT .
5362H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 575, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the of fense of
impeding, threatening, or harassing a first responder , with a penalty provision.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 575, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 575.356, to read as follows:
575.356. 1. A person commits the offense of impeding, thr eatening, or harassing
2 a first r esponder if such person after re ceiving an oral warning not to appr oach fr om an
3 individual that the person knows or r easonably should know is a first res ponder and the
4 individual is engaged in the lawful performance of his or her duties as a first res ponder
5 knowingly and willfully violates such warning and appr oaches or r emains within fifty
6 feet of the first res ponder with the intent to:
7 (1) Impede or interfer e with the first r esponder's ability to perform such duties;
8 (2) Threat en the first res ponder with physical harm; or
9 (3) Harass the first res ponder .
10 2. The offense of impeding, thr eatening, or harassing a first r esponder is a class
11 D misdemeanor .
12 3. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
13 (1) "Emergency medical car e pr ovider", an ambulance driver , emergency
14 medical technician, paramedic, r egister ed nurse, physician, or medical dir ector . The
15 term "emergency medical care pr ovider" also includes a physician, employee, agent, or
16 volunteer of a hospital as defined in section 190.100 who is employed, under contract, or
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
17 otherwise authorized by a hospital to perform duties direc tly associated with the care
18 and tr eatment rend ered by the hospital's emergency department or the security ther eof;
19 (2) "First res ponder", a law enfor cement officer as defined in section 556.061, a
20 par ole or pr obation officer , a fir efighter as defined in section 87.120, or an emergency
21 medical care provi der;
22 (3) "Harass", to willfully engage in a course of conduct dir ected at a first
23 r esponder that intentionally causes substantial emotional distr ess in that first res ponder
24 and serves no legitimate purpose.
✔
HB 1930 2