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First‑Responder Protection and Public‑Order Enhancement Act

This bill makes two primary changes to Georgia law: first, it expands the definition of incest to include step-grandparents and step-grandchildren, which means that sexual relationships between these family members would now be legally considered incestuous; second, the bill creates a new criminal offense called "interference with a first responder." Under this new provision, a person can be charged with a high and aggravated misdemeanor if they knowingly and willfully approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder (such as law enforcement, firefighters, or rescue personnel) after receiving a verbal warning, with the intent to impede the first responder's duties, threaten them with physical harm, or harass them. The bill defines "first responder" broadly as anyone providing on-site care before an ambulance arrives, and defines "harass" as engaging in conduct that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress to the first responder without a legitimate purpose. The penalties for this new offense include a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, which typically carries more serious consequences than a standard misdemeanor.1