This bill aims to enhance public safety by criminalizing the obstruction of first responders, including firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and certain healthcare providers. It introduces a new provision that makes it a crime to approach or remain within 25 feet of these individuals after receiving a verbal warning, with the intent to impede their duties. Additionally, the bill increases the penalties for physically assaulting these first responders, classifying such assaults that inflict demonstrable bodily harm as felonies, punishable by up to three years of imprisonment or fines up to $6,000.

The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, specifically sections 609.2231 and 609.50. Notably, it inserts language that distinguishes between different types of assaults and their corresponding penalties, while also clarifying the conditions under which obstruction becomes a crime. The effective date for these changes is set for August 1, 2025, applying to offenses committed on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 609.50
1st Engrossment: 609.2231, 609.50