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2025-2026 Bill 4763: Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Act - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 4763
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Oremus, Brittain, W. Newton, Bailey, Bradley, Brewer, Caskey, Crawford, Duncan, Erickson, Forrest, Gagnon, Gatch, Gilliam, Guest, Haddon, Hardee, Hartnett, Hartz, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, J.E. Johnson, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Martin, McCravy, C. Mitchell, B. Newton, Pedalino, Pope, Robbins, Sanders, Schuessler, Sessions, G.M. Smith, M.M. Smith, Taylor, Teeple, Vaughan, Whitmire, Willis, Wooten, Yow, Terribile, White, Lastinger, Wickensimer, Atkinson, Chapman, Gibson, Cromer and Gilreath
Companion/Similar bill(s): 175, 3535
Document Path: LC-0179AHB26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Introduced in the Senate on March 10, 2026
Last Amended on May 14, 2026
Currently residing in conference committee
Summary: Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Act
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
12/16/2025
House
Prefiled
12/16/2025
House
Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
1/13/2026
House
Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 107
)
1/13/2026
House
Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 107
)
1/20/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White
2/24/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Lastinger
2/25/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor:
Wickensimer, Atkinson, Chapman
2/25/2026
House
Committee report: Favorable
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 3
)
2/26/2026
Scrivener's error corrected
3/3/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Gibson
3/3/2026
House
Requests for debate-Rep(s). B. Newton, Hewitt,
Harris, Martin, T. Moore, Lawson, Duncan, King,
Luck, Hosey, Caskey, and Guest (
House Journal-page 35
)
3/4/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Cromer,
Gilreath
3/4/2026
House
Amended (
House Journal-page 55
)
3/4/2026
House
Read second time (
House Journal-page 55
)
3/4/2026
House
Roll call Yeas-95 Nays-18 (
House Journal-page 69
)
3/5/2026
House
Read third time and sent to Senate (
House Journal-page 12
)
3/10/2026
Senate
Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 13
)
3/10/2026
Senate
Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 13
)
3/11/2026
Senate
Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 13
)
3/26/2026
Senate
Committee Amendment Adopted (
Senate Journal-page 21
)
3/26/2026
Senate
Amended (
Senate Journal-page 21
)
3/26/2026
Senate
Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 21
)
3/26/2026
Senate
Roll call Ayes-34 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 21
)
5/14/2026
Senate
Amended (
Senate Journal-page 96
)
5/14/2026
Senate
Read third time and returned to House with amendments (
Senate Journal-page 96
)
5/14/2026
Senate
Roll call Ayes-44 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 96
)
5/14/2026
House
Non-concurrence in Senate amendment (
House Journal-page 87
)
5/14/2026
House
Roll call Yeas-13 Nays-91 (
House Journal-page 88
)
5/14/2026
House
House insists upon amendment and conference
committee appointed Reps. Brittain, W Newton,
Bernstein (
House Journal-page 111
)
5/14/2026
Senate
Conference committee appointed Adams, Kimbrell, Walker (
Senate Journal-page 99
)
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025
02/25/2026
02/26/2026
03/04/2026
03/11/2026
03/26/2026
05/14/2026
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
As Passed By The Senate
May 14, 2026
H. 4763
Introduced by Reps. Oremus, Brittain, W. Newton,
Bailey, Bradley, Brewer, Caskey, Crawford, Duncan, Erickson, Forrest, Gagnon,
Gatch, Gilliam, Guest, Haddon, Hardee, Hartnett, Hartz, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon,
Holman, J. E. Johnson, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Martin, McCravy, C. Mitchell,
B. Newton, Pedalino, Pope, Robbins, Sanders, Schuessler, Sessions, G. M. Smith,
M. M. Smith, Taylor, Teeple, Vaughan, Whitmire, Willis, Wooten, Yow, Terribile,
White, Lastinger, Wickensimer, Atkinson, Chapman, Gibson, Cromer and Gilreath
S. Printed 5/14/26--S.
Read the first time March 10, 2026
________
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT
THE "HELPING ALLEVIATE LAWFUL OBSTRUCTION (HALO) ACT"; AND BY ADDING SECTION
16-3-1092
SO AS TO DEFINE THE TERMS "EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE PROVIDER", "FIRST
RESPONDER", AND "HARASS", TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PERSON TO
APPROACH, IMPEDE, CAUSE HARM TO, OR HARASS A FIRST RESPONDER or emergency
medical care provider AFTER RECEIVING A VERBAL WARNING, AND TO PROVIDE A
PENALTY.
Amend Title To Conform
B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
S
ECTION 1.
This act may be cited as the "Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction
(HALO) Act".
S
ECTION 2.
A
rticle 11, Chapter 3, Title 16 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:
S
ection
16-3-1092
.
(
A) For the purpose of
this section:
(
1)
"Emergency medical care provider" means a registered nurse, physician,
physician assistant, medical director, and hospital volunteers that are
providing medical care or assisting in the providing of medical care within the
confines of a hospital's emergency department.
(
2)
"First Responder" includes a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, an
emergency medical technician, certified EMS worker, and a paramedic.
(
B)
It is unlawful for a person, after receiving a verbal warning not to approach
from a person he knows or reasonably should know is a first responder who is
engaged in the lawful performance of a legal duty, to knowingly and wilfully
violate the warning to stand a reasonable distance from the first responder
with the intent to:
(
1)
impede or interfere with the first responder's ability to perform his duty
including but not limited to, obstructing a first responders' movement,
distracting a first responder from administering medical care to another, or
effectuating a lawful arrest; or
(
2)
offer or attempt to cause physical harm or injury to a first responder with
apparent present ability under circumstances reasonably creating fear of
imminent harm or injury.
I
n performance of a
legal duty, the first responder may direct a person to stand a reasonable
distance away, not to exceed twenty-five feet.
(
C)
It is unlawful for a person, after receiving a verbal warning not to approach
from a person he knows or reasonably should know is an emergency medical care
provider providing emergency medical care specific to the emergency at hand
within a hospital emergency department, to knowingly and wilfully violate the
warning and approach or remain at a reasonable distance that would not allow
safe and unencumbered treatment of the patient as determined by the hospital
emergency department with the intent to:
(
1)
impede or interfere with the emergency medical care provider's ability to
perform his duty including, but not limited to, obstructing a emergency medical
care provider's movement or distracting a emergency medical care provider from
administering medical care to another; or
(
2)
offer or attempt to cause physical harm or injury to an emergency medical care
provider with apparent present ability under circumstances reasonably creating
fear of imminent peril.
(
D) A
person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor
and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five hundred dollars and
imprisoned not more than thirty days.
S
ECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
----XX----
This web page was last updated on May 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM