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SB 361

Protecting First Responders Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Gale Adcock and 17 co-sponsors

The bill strengthens protections for emergency responders by increasing assault penalties and creating new felonies for knowingly exposing responders to fentanyl or similar harmful

Withdrawn From Com
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Bill Summary · SB 361

SB 361 — Protecting First Responders Act (North Carolina) — Summary

Status & timing
- Bill: SB 361, "Protecting First Responders Act."
- Introduced: Feb 13 / filed Mar 20, 2025.
- Procedural note: listed as Withdrawn from Committee on 2025-04-01 in the record provided.
- Key effective dates in the text: appropriation provisions effective July 1, 2025; criminal exposure provisions effective December 1, 2025; other provisions effective on enactment unless otherwise stated.

Purpose / intent
- Strengthen criminal protections for emergency responders (EMS, rescue, firefighters, law enforcement, hospital security, and related personnel) by (1) increasing penalties for assaults on responders and (2) creating new criminal offenses for knowingly exposing responders to fentanyl or similar harmful drugs/chemicals. The bill also provides state funding to equip EMS personnel with body armor.

Key substantive provisions
1. Expanded assault offense
- Amends existing assault/affray statute (G.S. 14-34.6) to increase punishment for assaults or affrays causing physical injury when committed against certain emergency responders while they are performing official duties. (Text indicates elevation of the offense classification for these victims.)

  1. New criminal offenses for exposure to fentanyl/other harmful drugs or chemical agents (new G.S. 14‑286.3)

    • Definitions: “emergency responder” (EMS personnel, rescue squad/EMS member, firefighter, law enforcement officer) and “expose” (risk of skin contact, inhalation, ingestion, needlestick or mucous-membrane contact).
    • Exposure (intentional possession and exposure): Class H felony.
    • Exposure causing serious bodily injury: Class G felony.
    • Failure to notify responders that fentanyl/other harmful agents are present at a scene (when person knows and willfully fails to notify): Class I felony.
    • Each violation treated as a separate offense; does not merge with other charges.

  2. Appropriation for protective equipment (NCOEMS grants)

    • Nonrecurring General Fund appropriation to the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS): $10,350,000 (FY 2025–26), to be distributed by grant:
      • $8,100,000 for bulletproof vests for paramedics/EMTs.
      • $2,250,000 for bulletproof backpack plates for paramedics/EMTs.
    • Funds designated not to revert until July 1, 2028.
    • Defines “first responders” eligible for grants (state/local government agencies and qualifying nonprofit EMS providers registered with NCOEMS).

Who is affected
- Emergency responders (EMS personnel, rescue squad members, firefighters, law enforcement, hospital security) — both the beneficiaries of enhanced criminal protections and potential grant recipients for protective equipment.
- Individuals who unlawfully possess or knowingly conceal dangerous drugs/chemicals at emergency scenes — subject to new felony penalties.
- State budget: one-time $10.35M appropriation for protective equipment grants; administrative workload for NCOEMS to administer grant program.

Potential impacts and implementation notes
- Legal: Raises criminal liability and penalties for exposing responders to fentanyl/other harmful agents and for failure to alert responders — may increase prosecutions and sentencing exposure in covered cases.
- Operational: NCOEMS must implement a grant program (applications, distribution, compliance). Local EMS agencies and eligible nonprofit providers may be able to acquire body armor through grants.
- Fiscal: Immediate nonrecurring cost to the General Fund of $10.35M; no long‑term funding specified in the bill text. Enforcement and prosecution costs may increase modestly depending on caseload.

Effective dates recap
- Appropriation/grant funding: becomes effective July 1, 2025.
- Criminal exposure provisions (new felony offenses): apply to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025.
- Other sections: generally effective upon enactment, where not otherwise specified.

For readers seeking more
- Text excerpts show the specific statutory sections amended/added (G.S. 14‑34.6 and new G.S. 14‑286.3). If you want, I can extract or annotate the bill text clauses (penalty classes, statutory language) or prepare a one‑page memo on grant administration steps NCOEMS would need to take.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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