---
title: SB 268. Offenses Against Public Order; crime of interference with a first responder; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb268
cite_as: SB 268, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb268
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb268.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb268/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70838
date: 2026-03-19
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 788
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb268.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 268
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-06
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Randy Robertson
- Steve Gooch
- John Albers
- Timothy Bearden
- Chuck Payne
- Tim Fleming
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB268/2025
upstream_id: 1986216
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- first responders
- public safety law
- misdemeanor penalties
- incest law
- emergency scenes
---
# SB 268. Offenses Against Public Order; crime of interference with a first responder; provide
## Text
The House Committee on Judiciary, Non-Civil offers the following substitute to SB 268:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and
offenses, so as to include step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationship regarding the
offense of incest; to provide for the crime of interference with a first responder; to provide
for penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and offenses, is
amended in Code Section 16-6-22, relating to incest, by revising paragraph (4) of subsection
as follows:
"(4) Grandparent and grandchild of the whole blood or the half blood or by virtue of
adoption or step-grandparent and step-grandchild;"
SECTION 2.
Said title is further amended in Article 2 of Chapter 11, relating to offenses against public
order, by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"16-11-46.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'First responder' means any person or agency who provides on-site care until the
arrival of a duly licensed ambulance service. This shall include, but not be limited to,
persons who routinely respond to calls for assistance through an affiliation with law
enforcement agencies, fire suppression agencies, rescue agencies, and others.
(2) 'Harass' means to willfully engage in any conduct directed at a first responder which
intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no
legitimate purpose.
(b) A person commits the offense of interference with a first responder when he or she,
after receiving a verbal warning not to approach from a person he or she knows or
reasonably should know is a first responder, who is engaged in the lawful performance of
a legal duty, knowingly and willfully violates such warning and approaches or remains
within 25 feet of the first responder with the intent to:
(1) Impede or interfere with the first responder's ability to perform such duty;
(2) Threaten the first responder with physical harm; or
(3) Harass the first responder.
(c) A person convicted pursuant to this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of
a high and aggravated nature."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would create a new crime for approaching or interfering with first responders after a warning, and would add step-grandparents and step-grandchildren to the state's incest law.
### Plain-language summary
This bill changes two parts of Georgia's criminal code. First, it expands the incest statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22) so that sexual relations between a step-grandparent and step-grandchild count as incest, alongside existing blood and adopted grandparent-grandchild relationships.
Second, it creates a brand new crime called interference with a first responder (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-46). A person commits this crime if, after a first responder such as a paramedic, firefighter, or police-affiliated rescuer tells them not to approach, they knowingly and willfully come within 25 feet of that responder anyway while intending to impede their work, threaten them with physical harm, or harass them. The bill defines 'first responder' broadly to include anyone who provides on-site emergency care before an ambulance arrives, and defines 'harass' as conduct meant to cause substantial emotional distress with no legitimate purpose. Violating this new law is a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, a more serious misdemeanor category under Georgia law.
### What it does
- Adds step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationships to the list of family relationships covered by Georgia's incest law (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22).
- Creates a new crime, interference with a first responder, for approaching within 25 feet of a warned-off first responder with intent to impede, threaten, or harass them.
- Defines 'first responder' to include any person or agency giving on-site emergency care before an ambulance arrives, including those affiliated with police, fire, or rescue agencies.
- Defines 'harass' as willful conduct aimed at a first responder that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose.
- Sets the penalty for the new interference crime as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, a harsher misdemeanor tier than a standard misdemeanor.
### Who it affects
First responders such as paramedics, firefighters, and rescue workers who could invoke the new 25-foot warning rule; bystanders, protesters, or family members at emergency scenes who might be charged under it; and people with step-grandparent or step-grandchild relationships who would newly fall under the incest statute.
### Why it matters
First responders would gain a legal tool to keep people at a distance during emergencies by issuing a verbal warning, and anyone who ignores that warning with intent to interfere, threaten, or harass could face a serious misdemeanor charge. The incest law change closes a gap for step-grandparent relationships that were not previously covered.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22(4) to add step-grandparent and step-grandchild to the relationships covered by the incest offense.
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 16-11-46, creating the crime of interference with a first responder.
- Subsection (a) defines 'first responder' and 'harass' for purposes of the new offense.
- Subsection (b) requires a prior verbal warning not to approach and sets the 25-foot boundary and the three intents (impede, threaten, harass) that trigger the crime.
- Subsection (c) sets the penalty as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-03-19)
- Sponsors: Randy Robertson, Steve Gooch, John Albers, Timothy Bearden, Chuck Payne, Tim Fleming
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70838
> The history, votes, and amendments (788 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb268.md?full=1