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An Act To Prevent Violence against Emergency Responders
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §752-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1977, c. 656, §2, is amended to read:
 
3.   Assault on an officer is a Class CB crime.
Sec. 2. 17-A MRSA §752-C, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 470, §1, is amended to read:
 
3.   Assault on an emergency medical care provider is a Class CB crime.
Sec. 3. 17-A MRSA §752-E, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 471, §2, is amended to read:
 
3.   Assault on a firefighter is a Class CB crime.
Sec. 4. 17-A MRSA §1151, sub-§8, ¶B, as amended by PL 2005, c. 551, §1, is further amended to read:
 
B. The selection by the defendant of the person against whom the crime was committed or of the property that was damaged or otherwise affected by the crime because of the race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or homelessness of that person or of the owner or occupant of that property or because of that person's status as a law enforcement officer, emergency medical care provider or firefighter or such status of the owner or occupant of that property.
 
As used in this paragraph, "emergency medical care provider" has the same meaning as in Title 17-A, section 752-C, subsection 2 and "firefighter" means a municipal firefighter or volunteer firefighter as defined in Title 30-A, section 3151, subsections 2 and 4, respectively.
 
SUMMARY
This bill increases the classification of the crimes of assault on an officer, assault on an emergency medical care provider and assault on a firefighter from Class C to Class B crimes. It also extends the application of the hate crime sentencing laws to a defendant who selects the person against whom a crime is committed because of that person's status as a law enforcement officer, emergency medical care provider or firefighter or who selects property to damage because of such status of the owner or occupant of that property.