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An Act To Protect Hospital Employees from Assault
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §752-C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 471, §1, is further amended to read:
§ 752-C.Assault on an emergency medical care provider or hospital employee
 
1.    A person is guilty of assault on an emergency medical care provider or hospital employee if that person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to an emergency medical care provider or hospital employee while the emergency medical care provider or hospital employee is providing emergency medical care.
 
2.   As used in this section, "emergency medical care provider" includes hospital personnel assisting in an emergency and emergency medical services persons, defined in Title 32, section 83, subsection 12, but does not include a firefighter as defined in section 752-E, subsection 2.
 
3.    Assault on an emergency medical care provider or hospital employee is a Class C crime.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §832-A, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 292, §1, is amended to read:
 
C. "Emergency medical care provider" has the same meaning as in Title 17-A, section 752-C, subsection 2includes hospital personnel assisting in an emergency and emergency medical services persons, defined in Title 32, section 83, subsection 12, but does not include a firefighter as defined in Title 17-A, section 752-E, subsection 2.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides that an assault on a hospital employee while the hospital employee is providing medical care is a Class C crime. It also provides that an assault on an emergency medical care provider while the emergency medical care provider is providing medical care is a Class C crime. Current law provides that an assault on an emergency medical care provider while the emergency medical care provider is providing emergency medical care is a Class C crime. The bill also corrects a cross-reference.