S3686 • 2026

Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as "Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act."

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Bucco, Anthony M.
Last action: 2026-02-24
Official status: Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as "Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act."

Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as "Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act." Topic: Law and Public Safety Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

What This Bill Does

Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as "Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act." Topic: Law and Public Safety Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-24 New Jersey Legislature
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee

Official Summary Text

Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as "Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act."
Topic:
Law and Public Safety
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S3686

SENATE, No. 3686

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes disorderly persons offense of interfering
with first responder under certain circumstances; designated as �Honoring and
Listening to Our First Responders Act.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning first responders and supplementing Title 2C
of the New Jersey Statutes.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act� or
the �HALO Act.��

���� 2.��� a.� As used in this
section, "first responder� means a law enforcement officer, paid or
volunteer firefighter, or paid or volunteer member of a duly incorporated first
aid, emergency, ambulance, or rescue squad association.�

���� b.��� It shall be disorderly
persons offense to approach or remain within a distance of less than 25 feet of
the first responder
after having received instruction
not to approach the first responder if the person acts with the purpose to:

���� (1)�� obstruct, impair, or
interfere with the performance of the first responder�s official duties; or�

���� (2)�� interfere with the first
responder�s performance of official duties by threatening, intimidating, or
harassing the first responder.�

���� c.���� This section shall not
preclude the prosecution and conviction of a person under any other applicable
provision of law.�

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
�Honoring and Listening to Our First Responders Act� or the �HALO Act.��

���� The bill provides that it is a
disorderly persons offense to approach or remain within a distance of less than
25 feet of a first responder
after having received
instruction not to approach the first responder if the person acts with the
purpose to
:

�

obstruct, impair, or interfere with the first responder�s
performance of official duties; or

�

interfere with the first responder�s performance of official
duties by threatening, intimidating, or harassing the first responder.�

���� Under the bill, �first
responder� would include any law enforcement officer, paid or volunteer
firefighter, or paid or volunteer member of a duly incorporated first aid,
emergency, ambulance, or rescue squad association.�

���� A
disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six
months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.