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An Act To Protect the Safety of Health Care Workers
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Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §752-C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 471, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
§ 752-C. Assault on a health care practitioner or hospital employee or contractor
 
1.     A person is guilty of assault on a health care practitioner or hospital employee or contractor if that person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to a health care practitioner while that health care practitioner is providing medical care or to a hospital employee or person working for a hospital on a contractual basis while that employee or person is performing duties related to the provision of care for a patient or a prospective patient.
 
2.    As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates "health care practitioner" means a physician or other person certified, registered or licensed in the healing arts, including, but not limited to, a nurse, podiatrist, optometrist, chiropractor, physical therapist, dentist, psychologist, physicians' assistant or emergency medical services' person, as defined in Title 32, section 83, subsection 12. "Heath care practitioner" includes hospital personnel assisting in providing medical care but does not include a firefighter as defined in section 752-E, subsection 2.
 
3.     Assault on a health care practitioner or hospital employee or contractor is a Class C crime.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides that an assault on a health care practitioner while that health care practitioner is providing medical care or an assault on a hospital employee or person working for a hospital on a contractual basis while that employee or person is performing duties related to the provision of care for a patient or a prospective patient is a Class C crime.