Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975, is revised to add a second-degree assault offense involving a child in an educational environment. The offense applies when the actor intends to cause physical injury, is at least 19 years old, is not employed by or enrolled in the entity associated with the educational environment, and causes physical injury to any person.

The provision concerning off-duty peace officers is also technically revised to clarify its wording while retaining the rule that an off-duty officer working in an approved uniform, with employing-agency approval, is performing a lawful duty for purposes of the assault offense; the text continues to preserve existing limits concerning workers’ compensation, other benefits, and municipal tort liability. The act takes effect October 1, 2026.

Section 13A-6-21 of the Code of Alabama 1975 would be amended to classify an assault as assault in the second degree when a person intends to cause physical injury to a current or former local, state, or federal public official during or because of the official’s duties and causes physical injury to any individual. The bill also makes technical and organizational revisions to the existing assault provisions, including provisions concerning peace officers, utility workers, health care workers, teachers, social-work employees, and letter carriers, and adds related definitions and clarifications. The existing Class C felony penalty for assault in the second degree applies to the added offense. The act would take effect October 1, 2026.

The bill adds a category of second-degree assault for intentionally causing physical injury to a current or former public official, as defined in Section 36-25-1, during or as a result of the official’s duties. The offense remains a Class C felony.

It elevates harassment and harassing communications involving a public official to a Class B misdemeanor. The underlying offenses remain Class C misdemeanors, and the provision retains an exception for legitimate business telephone communications. The bill also makes technical, nonsubstantive wording revisions throughout the affected provisions, including updated terminology and restructuring of existing protected-worker language.

The act becomes effective October 1, 2026.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill replaces the existing hospital performance-payment framework with a Hospital Quality Incentive Program. The program must reward hospitals for delivering safer and more effective care that improves patient outcomes and reduces preventable utilization and health-care costs, and must include a workplace-violence performance metric. Performance measures must be based on factors reasonably within hospitals’ control, align with nationally recognized and federal quality standards to the maximum extent practicable, and minimize administrative burden through measures such as avoiding duplicative reporting and using existing data sources.

Before implementation, the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Board must approve the share of hospital reimbursement subject to the program, its structure, performance measures, and scoring methodology. New measures must remain in place for a defined period of no more than three years before modification or replacement, unless evidence shows they are ineffective or require technical adjustment; measures meeting program goals may be renewed. Board approval is required for program modifications before implementation, except changes necessary to comply with federal law, which may take effect immediately. The total annual incentive payments remain capped at 7% of the prior fiscal year’s hospital reimbursements unless the board formally approves the program after obtaining input from hospital representatives with clinical expertise; after that approval, the cap may rise to 9%.

Conforming changes redirect hospital provider-fee funding, enterprise duties, federal-waiver activities, and reporting requirements to the Hospital Quality Incentive Program. Annual enterprise-board reports must describe implementation efforts, the program’s structure, results achieved, progress toward implementation, and legislative recommendations for program changes. The bill removes the prior health-care delivery system reform incentive-payment program and repeals the statutory subsection governing its funding, implementation, planning phase, and specified focus areas.

FULL SUMMARY

Establishes statewide workplace-violence prevention and health care worker safety requirements for health care facilities. Facilities must adopt and enforce zero-tolerance policies covering prohibited conduct, reporting, response, and consequences; maintain multidisciplinary prevention programs; develop written response procedures addressing de-escalation, separation, escalation, investigation, follow-up, multiple reporting avenues, and response timelines; provide those procedures in handbooks and training; and submit them, including later modifications, to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations within 120 days after the Act takes effect. Procedures may not be modified to reduce worker protections and, where applicable, their development and modification must be collectively bargained.

Health care workers may accept, reject, or object in writing to assignments that pose a serious risk of harm, without retaliation, discipline, or other adverse employment action. Leadership may not discourage, delay, ignore, minimize, or pressure workers not to report violence, and facilities must promptly investigate good-faith reports, assess continuing risks, implement reasonable protective measures, provide medical, mental-health, and workplace support, and document their response. Facilities must also provide training at hire and regularly thereafter on prevention, reporting, de-escalation, trauma-informed response, and security protocols, and conduct periodic worksite risk analyses and mitigation.

Acute-care and specialty-care facilities with at least 30 beds and long-term-care facilities with at least 50 beds must implement specified access controls, including minimized public entrances where practicable, staffed security checkpoints, weapons screening that does not unreasonably delay emergency care, restricted access to unrelated areas, and procedures for prohibited weapons or items. Screening and confiscation must be performed by trained security or designated nonclinical personnel; direct-care staff may not be assigned those duties. Smaller facilities must adopt alternative reasonable security measures appropriate to their size and risk. Requirements may not interfere with emergency treatment, disability-access laws, or fire, life-safety, and evacuation rules.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, coordinating with the Department of Health, is responsible for enforcement and may impose administrative penalties, corrective action plans, fines of up to $150 per day, or other lawful remedies. If retaliation or an injury occurring while a facility is out of compliance causes a worker to lose employment, wages, benefits, or the ability to work, the facility must make the worker whole and pay treble lost wages and benefits, including health-insurance contributions and accrued leave. The Act authorizes implementing rules and takes effect upon approval.

FULL SUMMARY

Effective January 1, 2027, the Act creates a Freedom of Information Act exemption for records created or compiled by a State public defender agency or commission subject to the State Public Defender Act. The exemption covers individual client identities, case files, investigations, attorney-client privileged or nondiscoverable records, training materials, representation strategy, and comparable records concerning county public defenders or other defender agencies and firms. It does not apply to deidentified, aggregated administrative records, including general case-processing and workload information.

The Act requires health care providers to include an employee reporting system for Type 2 workplace violence—violence directed at employees by patients, customers, visitors, or persons accompanying patients—in their workplace-violence prevention programs. It also prohibits providers from maintaining policies that limit the types of workplace violence about which workers may contact law enforcement, the Department of Public Health, or file a report.

By November 30, 2027, the Department of Public Health must develop and publicly publish a template for logging Type 2 violent incidents occurring in emergency departments. Providers must begin using it within three months after publication. Logs must record the incident and environmental risk factors, date and time, involved employees’ job titles, known perpetrators’ names and addresses, injuries, and response actions; the records are confidential and exempt from FOIA disclosure.

Beginning May 31, 2028, and annually thereafter, each provider must submit a deidentified aggregate report for the preceding calendar year covering the number of Type 2 incidents, recordable injuries, and violence-prevention activities. The Department must submit an annual deidentified statewide report to the General Assembly, notify providers that fail to report, and may impose a fine of up to $500 per day after the 30-day correction period.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill changes the Health Care Violence Prevention Act’s definitions, including expanding “health care provider” to cover hospital affiliates, ambulatory surgical treatment centers, and veterans homes, and defining workplace violence as any act of violence or threat against a health care worker on a provider’s premises, regardless of intent. Health care workers may report workplace violence to law enforcement or the Department of Public Health, and providers may not discourage or restrict those contacts through policy. Workplace violence prevention programs must be developed in consultation with direct-care employees, comply with applicable OSHA guidelines, be tailored to each provider’s conditions and hazards, and be submitted to the Department for approval.

Programs must classify incidents as four types—outsider criminal activity, violence by patients or other customers and visitors, employee-on-employee violence, and violence by a person with a personal relationship to an employee—and address management and worker participation, hazard analysis, security and alarm needs, exit routes, monitoring, barriers, lighting, entry procedures, and systems to identify people with prior violent acts at the facility. Programs must also include hazard controls, rule-based safety training, annual evaluation, designated implementation personnel, risk assessments, employee reporting systems, post-incident investigation reports available to employees and representatives, medical treatment, trauma-counseling information, and emergency procedures for mass-casualty threats and dangerous weapons. The Department may establish additional criteria by rule.

A provider must begin investigating a violent incident, threat, risk, or hazard within 48 hours of becoming aware of it; review the effectiveness of existing controls, solicit input from affected employees, representatives, and supervisors, and document findings, recommendations, and corrective measures. The Department must create a standardized incident log capturing environmental risks, incident details, involved employees, injuries, perpetrator classification, violence type, and abatement measures. Providers must annually submit summaries of their logs, and the Department must publish an annual statewide report to the General Assembly and on its website. Log records are confidential and exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Failure to submit a prevention program within six months after the Act’s effective date carries a $500-per-day penalty; violations of an approved correction plan may result in penalties of up to $500 per day for a first violation and $1,000 per day for subsequent violations, subject to a $365,000 annual cap.

The document outlines a series of legislative changes in Illinois aimed at enhancing government efficiency, supporting economic development, and improving public health and safety. Key initiatives include a review process for state boards and commissions to assess their activity, the enhancement of user privacy on state agency websites, and the development of a strategic economic plan focused on job creation. Efforts to support small businesses are emphasized through initiatives that facilitate contract opportunities and the establishment of a council to address food access and security.

In the healthcare sector, the document highlights the need for comprehensive workforce planning, the establishment of donor banks, and improvements in long-term care services for individuals with disabilities. It also introduces a revolving loan program for coal projects and initiatives aimed at public health education regarding hepatitis. Additionally, amendments related to community water supply regulations and the Manufactured Home Quality Assurance Act focus on compliance and quality assurance.

The document further details amendments aimed at enhancing financial management and educational funding, particularly in education, transportation, and veteran services. It emphasizes the preparation of the state budget based on generally accepted accounting principles and mandates the development of a comprehensive statewide master plan for transportation efficiency. The funding framework for educational programs has been revised to ensure equitable distribution of resources, particularly for low-income and special education students.

Moreover, the document addresses the coordination and oversight of state services, particularly in children's behavioral health, legislative ethics, and pension management. The establishment of the Interagency Children's Behavioral Health Services Team aims to enhance collaboration among state departments, while the creation of the Office of the Legislative Inspector General will oversee ethical conduct among government officials. Amendments to the Illinois Pension Code emphasize the need for proper funding and management of retirement contributions.

Overall, these legislative changes reflect a commitment to improving service delivery, ethical standards, and financial management within state governance, ultimately aiming to enhance public health, support economic growth, and ensure equitable access to services across Illinois.

The document discusses the formation of a Health Care Workforce Task Force in Illinois, created to tackle the state's health care workforce challenges that have worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant finding is the projected shortfall of 15,000 registered nurses by the end of 2025, highlighting the critical role of the health care sector in the Illinois economy, which supports 445,000 jobs and contributes $117 billion.

The Task Force will include state officials and representatives from health care organizations, focusing on reviewing health care regulations, identifying workforce shortages, and making recommendations to enhance recruitment, retention, and inclusivity within the health care workforce.

A report detailing the Task Force's recommendations is to be submitted to the General Assembly and the Governor within one year of the first meeting. The establishment of the Task Force is set to be repealed on December 31, 2027.

The document discusses an amendment to the Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act in Illinois, which primarily involves a technical change to the short title of the Act.

This amendment does not introduce any direct monetary impacts or detailed changes that would affect various business industries.

The original Act became effective on July 28, 2005.

The document outlines significant amendments to Illinois laws aimed at enhancing workplace safety, particularly for health care providers and workers. These changes focus on the implementation of workplace violence prevention programs that require health care providers to identify security needs, conduct risk assessments, and provide employee training. Health care workers are encouraged to report incidents of workplace violence without fear of discouragement from management, and they must notify management within three days of contacting law enforcement regarding such incidents.

Additionally, the amendments to the Health Care Violence Prevention Act mandate that health care providers submit their proposed violence prevention programs to the Department of Public Health for approval. Providers are also required to maintain records of violent incidents and conduct investigations within 48 hours of becoming aware of such incidents, ensuring that findings and corrective measures are documented.

The amendments also include provisions to protect sensitive information related to workplace violence incidents by exempting these records from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. This aims to safeguard the privacy of individuals involved and the integrity of workplace safety measures.

Overall, the changes emphasize the importance of protecting health care workers and ensuring a safe working environment through comprehensive reporting and prevention strategies. The focus on confidentiality and the establishment of clear guidelines for workplace violence prevention reflect a commitment to enhancing safety in the health care sector.

The document outlines amendments to the Health Care Violence Prevention Act, emphasizing workplace safety for health care workers, particularly in emergency departments. Health care providers are now required to report any incidents of verbal aggression or physical assault against their workers to the Department of Public Health. This reporting aims to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce such incidents.

Additionally, health care providers must inform management within three days if a worker contacts law enforcement or files a report regarding workplace violence. Management is explicitly prohibited from discouraging workers from reporting these incidents to law enforcement, ensuring that employees feel supported in their right to report.

To further promote a safe working environment, providers are mandated to display notices in emergency departments that communicate a zero-tolerance policy for verbal aggression and state that physical assaults will be reported to law enforcement.

Moreover, health care workers affected by incidents of violence must be offered immediate post-incident services, including acute treatment and psychological evaluation, to support their recovery and well-being.

These changes take effect immediately upon becoming law and primarily impact health care providers operating emergency departments. Specific monetary impacts of these amendments are not detailed in the document.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill amends Kentucky’s workplace-violence requirements for health facilities. It narrows the statutory definitions’ scope to KRS 216.701–216.709, adds a definition of “Cabinet,” and defines “health care worker” to include licensed or unlicensed employees, volunteers, and contractors who have direct patient contact for medical care or emergency-response situations potentially involving violence.

It removes the Cabinet’s duties to distribute workplace-safety guidance and annually audit facilities. Instead, the Cabinet must accept a facility as compliant if it is accredited by a nationally recognized organization approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or if it is recognized by the U.S. Office of Inspector General as a facility certified to participate in Medicare and Medicaid and annually attests that it maintains qualifying safety assessments and plans, provides violence-prevention training at hire and annually, operates an internal reporting system, prohibits retaliation for good-faith reports, and periodically reviews incidents and updates its plan. The Cabinet may require direct compliance when objective evidence from a licensure survey or substantiated complaint shows that the facility’s assessment or plan has failed to reasonably identify, mitigate, or respond to violence risks; the facility remains subject to those requirements until deficiencies are remedied. All health facilities, including those receiving this safe-harbor treatment, must post an appropriately sized and prominent notice stating that threatening or aggressive behavior toward health care workers will not be tolerated and may result in consequences including a felony conviction.

Facilities must annually inform health care workers of changes to policies, procedures, or the workplace-safety plan resulting from the annual review process. The bill also removes the requirement that facilities consider Cabinet-issued workplace-safety guidelines when developing assessments and plans. Reporting-system training is expressly tied to situations in which health care workers experience or witness workplace violence. Facilities must establish follow-up procedures for individuals who experienced reported violence, inform them of actions taken and planned future action, and provide support that may include access to physical and mental health resources.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill establishes workplace-violence prevention requirements for specified health care employers and facilities. Employers must conduct annual, facility-specific risk assessments with employees and labor organizations; develop and implement violence-reduction programs with training and incident reporting and monitoring; maintain written prevention plans available to employees and, on request, labor organizations; and designate a senior manager to support an in-house crisis response team offering interventions, counseling, support groups, family assistance, peer help, and referrals. Violations may result in discretionary fines of up to $2,000 per offense, and complaints may be filed by the Department of Public Health, aggrieved employees, interested parties, or labor representatives. Employees are protected from retaliation for reporting workplace-violence risks. Employers must annually report incidents involving employees, emergency medical technicians, ambulance operators, or ambulance attendants to the department and the applicable district attorney; the department must publish aggregate county and statewide data by occupation and incident type within 90 days.

The bill creates paid-leave rights for health care employees who suffer bodily or serious bodily injury from an assault or assault and battery sustained in the line of duty. Leave may be used for medical treatment, victim services, legal assistance, protective orders, court or grand-jury appearances, or meetings with prosecutors or law enforcement. Employees need not exhaust other leave first, and employers may not coerce, deny, retaliate against, discriminate against, or condition the leave on contact with an alleged abuser. Employers may request supporting documentation, generally due within five business days, must keep leave information confidential subject to specified exceptions, must restore employees to their original or equivalent positions, and must post multilingual notices and notify new employees of their rights within 30 days.

The bill changes assault-related procedures and penalties by removing the phrase “treating or transporting a person” from the existing offense provision; allowing injured emergency medical technicians, ambulance operators, and ambulance attendants to use their health care facility or labor organization address for assault-related documents, with delivery within 24 hours and signed acknowledgment; and creating penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of $500 to $5,000 for assaults causing bodily injury, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment or the same fine range for assaults causing serious bodily injury, against covered health care employees in the line of duty. It requires regulations implementing the workplace-violence and paid-leave provisions within 180 days of the act’s effective date. Within one year, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security must report recommendations for interagency data sharing and alternative placements for criminal-justice-involved patients with mental or behavioral health diagnoses, subject to minimum-necessary access, de-identification where practicable, safeguards and auditing, restrictions on using shared data for enforcement actions, penalties for misuse, and compliance with federal confidentiality law.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds section 250 to chapter 111, requiring covered health care employers to conduct annual, facility-specific workplace-violence risk assessments in cooperation with employees and labor organizations; develop and implement prevention programs based on those assessments; provide training on reporting incidents and pursuing criminal charges; maintain written plans available to employees and labor organizations on request; establish post-incident debriefing and incident-reporting systems; and designate a senior manager to support a crisis-response team and assaulted-staff assistance program. Covered employers must annually report workplace-violence incidents involving employees, EMTs, ambulance operators, or ambulance attendants to the Department of Public Health and the relevant district attorney. The department must publish countywide and statewide aggregate data within 90 days, categorized by occupation and incident type. The attorney general may seek injunctive or equitable relief and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation; employees are protected from retaliation for reporting workplace-violence risks, and regulations must be issued to implement the requirements.

The bill adds chapter 149, section 52F, requiring health care employers to provide paid leave to employees who suffer bodily or serious bodily injury from an assault and battery in the line of duty, when the leave is used for specified medical or behavioral-health care, victim services, legal assistance, protective orders, or related court and law-enforcement proceedings. Employees need not exhaust other paid leave first, and the leave runs concurrently with chapter 175M leave. Employers may request supporting documentation, subject to specified deadlines, but must keep leave information confidential and may not interfere with, deny, retaliate against, or discriminate because of these rights; employees retain accrued benefits and return-to-work rights. Employers must post multilingual notices and notify new employees of these rights within 30 days, while the Department of Labor Standards must issue implementing regulations.

Additional changes allow health care employees who are victims of assault or assault and battery in the line of duty to use their health care facility or labor organization address instead of their home address in certain criminal-complaint applications, with the recipient required to forward court notices within one business day. Related provisions broaden the covered offenses and add section 13I to a cross-reference in chapter 276A. Police officers may arrest without a warrant when they have probable cause to believe a qualifying misdemeanor was committed against a covered employee at a hospital or the University of Massachusetts teaching hospital, subject to de-escalation and diversion requirements; a later provision expands that authority to all defined health care facilities, effective one year after the act’s effective date. Within one year after the act takes effect, the executive office of health and human services, coordinating with public safety officials, must report recommendations on interagency data sharing and alternative placement or treatment pathways for justice-involved patients with mental health, behavioral health, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, with specified privacy, security, and federal-law safeguards.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds a workplace-violence prevention framework for specified health care facilities, excluding entities such as nursing homes, clinics, home health agencies, hospices, ambulatory surgical centers, dialysis facilities, outpatient therapy facilities and nursing pools. Covered health care employers must conduct annual, employee- and labor-organization-inclusive, facility-specific risk assessments; develop and implement violence-reduction programs with training and incident-reporting systems; maintain written prevention plans available to employees and, upon request, their unions; designate a senior manager and establish or contract for crisis-response services for employee victims; and submit annual incident reports to the Department of Public Health and the relevant district attorney. The department must publish privacy-compliant aggregate data by county, statewide, occupation and incident type. The Attorney General may seek equitable relief and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, employees are protected from retaliation for reporting risks, and regulations must account for facility size, services and available resources.

The bill creates paid leave for a health care employee who suffers bodily or serious bodily injury from an assault or assault and battery in the line of duty. Leave may be used for medical care, victim services or legal assistance, protective orders, and participation in related investigations or proceedings. Employees need not exhaust other paid leave first; qualifying leave runs concurrently with Massachusetts family and medical leave where applicable. Employers may request supporting documentation, generally due within five business days, and must honor specified notice, confidentiality, anti-coercion, nondiscrimination, benefit-retention and reinstatement protections. Employers must post multilingual notices and notify new employees of their rights within 30 days; the Department of Labor Standards and Attorney General must issue implementing regulations.

The bill permits health care employees assaulted in the line of duty to use the address of the facility or their labor organization instead of a residential address in criminal-complaint applications, with the recipient required to transmit court notices within one business day and retain transmission records. It extends comparable address protections to emergency medical technicians, ambulance operators, ambulance attendants and health care providers, removes the prior limitation referring to persons being “treated or transported,” and authorizes warrantless arrest and detention when an officer has probable cause to believe a covered misdemeanor assault occurred against a health care employee at a health care facility. Within one year after the act’s effective date, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, coordinating with public safety officials, must report recommendations for interagency data sharing and alternative treatment pathways for criminal-justice-involved patients with mental or behavioral health conditions, subject to data minimization, de-identification, security, misuse penalties and federal confidentiality requirements.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds Chapter 111, section 245, requiring covered health care employers to conduct annual, facility-specific workplace-violence risk assessments in cooperation with employees and their labor organizations. Based on those assessments, employers must implement violence-prevention programs with employee training, incident reporting and monitoring, and training on reporting to public-safety authorities and pursuing criminal charges. Employers must also maintain a written prevention plan, provide it to employees and requesting labor organizations, designate a senior manager to support an in-house crisis-response team for employee victims, and protect employees from retaliation for reporting risks or complaints. Department rules or requirements may be enforced through fines of up to $2,000 per offense, complaints in district court, and, where applicable, attorney-general cease-and-desist closure orders. Employers must annually report specified workplace-violence incidents involving employees, emergency medical technicians, ambulance operators, or ambulance attendants to the Department of Public Health and the county district attorney; the department must publish statewide and county-level aggregate data by occupation and incident type within 90 days.

The bill inserts Chapter 149, section 52F, requiring covered health care facilities to provide paid leave to employees who are victims of line-of-duty assault or assault and battery when the leave is used for victim services, legal assistance, protective orders, court or grand-jury appearances, or meetings with prosecutors or law-enforcement officials. Employees need not exhaust other available leave first; employers may request supporting documentation, which generally must be provided within five business days. Advance notice is required under the employer’s leave policy, but an unauthorized absence must be excused without adverse action if qualifying documentation is provided within 30 days. Leave information must remain confidential subject to specified exceptions. Employers may not coerce, interfere with, deny, or condition the leave, discriminate or retaliate against employees who use it, or require contact with an alleged abuser; accrued benefits must be preserved and employees restored to their original or an equivalent position. Employers must post multilingual notices and notify new employees of the rights and responsibilities within 30 days of employment.

The bill adds penalties for knowingly and intentionally assaulting or committing assault and battery against a covered employee while in the line of duty: imprisonment of up to five years in state prison, 90 days to 2½ years in jail or a house of correction, a fine of $500 to $5,000, or a combination. It also permits specified emergency medical and health care personnel assaulted at a health care facility to use the facility or a qualifying labor organization’s address for service of assault-related documents, requiring delivery to the individual within 24 hours and signed proof of receipt, and removes the phrase “treating or transporting a person” from the existing offense provision. The commissioner of public health must issue implementing rules within 180 days of enactment. Within 12 months of enactment, the executive offices of health and human services and public safety and security must issue recommendations on data sharing and collaboration between health care facilities and public-safety entities, including secure access to relevant agency reports, behavioral-health crisis placement alternatives, more secure hospital transfers, and non-arrest pathways into continuing mental-health care.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill inserts definitions into chapter 151B providing that an “employer” includes any organization or individual engaging a person to perform work on its or its subsidiaries’, customers’, or clients’ behalf, whether paid or unpaid; an “employee” includes any individual performing work under another’s control and direction, whether paid or unpaid.

It adds protections against discrimination and harassment in apprenticeships, training programs, unpaid internships, volunteer programs, and other programs providing unpaid work, covering race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, handicap, gender identity, genetic information, pregnancy, ancestry, military and veteran status, and sexual orientation. Apprentices, trainees, unpaid interns, and volunteers may file complaints. A limited employment relationship would exist solely for these protections and would not create coverage under wage-and-hour, workers’ compensation, or unemployment-insurance laws.

The bill also prohibits discrimination against individuals and independent contractors in contracting, compensation, hiring, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of a contract, and permits complaints by affected individuals or contractors. It prohibits workplace harassment of nonemployees—including contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consultants, and their personnel—when the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action; employer control and other legal responsibility must be considered. Finally, it prohibits retaliation, including harassment, discharge, expulsion, or other discrimination, against anyone opposing prohibited practices or filing, testifying, or assisting in a proceeding under chapter 151B.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds a new workplace-violence prevention framework for specified health care facilities. Covered employers must conduct facility-specific annual risk assessments with employees and their labor organizations, develop and implement violence-reduction programs with training and incident reporting and monitoring, prepare written prevention plans, designate a senior manager to support an assaulted-staff crisis response team, and submit annual incident reports involving employees, emergency medical technicians, ambulance operators, or ambulance attendants. The Department of Public Health must publish statewide and county-level aggregate data by occupation and incident type within 90 days of receiving reports. Employees are protected from retaliation for reporting workplace-violence risks, and violations of department requirements may result in fines of up to $2,000 per offense; complaints may be brought to district court, and the Attorney General may issue enforceable cease-and-desist orders in specified circumstances.

The bill creates paid leave for covered health care employees who are victims of on-duty assault or assault and battery, when leave is used for victim services, legal assistance, protective orders, court or grand-jury appearances, or meetings with prosecutors or law enforcement. Employees need not exhaust other available leave first. Employers may request supporting documentation, generally due within five business days, but may not penalize an otherwise unauthorized absence if qualifying documentation is supplied within 30 days. Leave information must remain confidential subject to specified exceptions; employers may not interfere with or condition leave rights, discriminate or retaliate against employees, or deny restoration to the original or an equivalent position.

The bill adds a criminal penalty for knowingly and intentionally assaulting or assaulting and battering a covered health care employee while the employee is performing duties: imprisonment of up to five years in state prison, 90 days to two and one-half years in jail or a house of correction, a fine of $500 to $5,000, or a combination. It also allows an on-duty victim who is an emergency medical technician, ambulance operator, ambulance attendant, or covered health care provider to use the health care facility’s or a qualifying labor organization’s address for assault-related documents, which must be delivered within 24 hours with signed receipt documentation, and removes the phrase “treating or transporting a person” from the relevant assault statute. The Commissioner of Public Health must issue implementing rules within 180 days, and within 12 months the executive health and public safety offices must coordinate a report and recommendations on data sharing, crisis-placement alternatives, and non-arrest pathways into continuing mental-health care.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill removes the enhanced misdemeanor fine for assaulting a health professional or medical volunteer under sections 81 and 81a of the Michigan Penal Code. It also eliminates the related requirement for health facilities, agencies, hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals to post notices describing that enhanced fine, and removes the associated health-care definitions from those sections.

The bill creates a separate offense under section 81d for assaulting, battering, wounding, or endangering a health professional or medical volunteer whom the offender knows or has reason to know is performing duties on or adjacent to a hospital, health system, or health care provider. The offense is a felony punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. Enhanced penalties for bodily injury requiring medical attention, serious impairment of a body function, or death are expressly extended to violations involving health professionals and medical volunteers, with maximum penalties of four years/$5,000, 15 years/$10,000, and 20 years/$20,000, respectively.

Section 81d also defines protected health professionals to include qualifying employees providing direct patient care, individuals whose care duties require public-health-code regulation or supervision by a regulated individual, and individuals providing security, patient monitoring, or other indirect patient care under specified direction. Medical volunteers include individuals providing direct or indirect patient care while volunteering at or with a hospital, health system, or health care provider. The act would take effect 90 days after enactment and is conditioned on enactment of House Bill 4534 or its specified Senate counterpart and House Bill 4535 or its specified Senate counterpart.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill amends Michigan’s Mental Health Code to revise evidentiary requirements for assisted-outpatient-treatment petitions. For petitions under section 434(1) through (6), an individual may be found to require treatment only if at least one physician or licensed psychologist who personally examined the individual testifies in person or by written deposition. For petitions under section 434(7), testimony may be provided by a personally examining physician, licensed psychologist, or qualified health professional; the bill removes the special psychiatrist testimony and clinical-certificate provisions and requires examinations to be arranged by the court and the local community mental health services program or another department-designated entity. A qualified health professional is defined as a psychiatric nurse practitioner or physician assistant working under a psychiatrist’s supervision.

The bill creates a diversion process for defendants charged with a misdemeanor or an offense against a health professional or medical volunteer under Michigan Penal Code section 81d. At charging or before trial, the prosecutor, defendant, or defense counsel may seek an assessment by a physician, psychologist, or qualified health professional for eligibility for assisted outpatient treatment. Any opposing party may object; if the motion is opposed, diversion cannot occur and applicable competency procedures apply. If the assessment finds the defendant eligible, the prosecutor must file a treatment petition. The district court may arrange for a probate judge to hear the petition or direct filing in the probate court in the defendant’s county of residence. An objection at the treatment hearing requires dismissal of the petition and use of the ordinary mental-health-code procedures; absent objection, the court must enter the treatment order. Existing procedures in sections 1022 through 1044 do not apply to defendants diverted under this process.

Orders may last up to 90 days for a misdemeanor or 180 days for a serious misdemeanor. Noncompliance is handled under civil section 475 procedures, and treatment compliance cannot be made a release or bond condition; during a continuing prosecution, bond conditions are limited to specified no-contact, appearance, travel, and crime-related conditions. The community treatment program controls assessment, treatment planning, treatment characteristics, and discharge, subject to a court hearing if it fails to communicate with the court. Charges remain pending for release-enforcement purposes but must be dismissed after 90 days for a misdemeanor or 180 days for a serious misdemeanor or section 81d offense. Providers must notify the prosecutor and applicable courts when treatment ends. The act takes effect 90 days after enactment and is contingent on enactment of House Bills 4532, 4533, and 4535.

The bill adds a circumstance under which an otherwise eligible individual may be admitted to a mental health court: the individual is currently charged with a crime against a health professional or medical volunteer under section 81d of the Michigan Penal Code (MCL 750.81d). The act takes effect 90 days after enactment, but only if House Bills 4532 and 4533 of the 103rd Legislature are also enacted.

The bill amends Michigan’s sentencing-guidelines felony table to add assaults against a health professional or medical volunteer under MCL 750.81d. The added offenses are classified as Person G with a two-year statutory maximum when no specified injury is involved; Person F with a four-year maximum when medical attention is required; Person C with a 15-year maximum when serious impairment results; and Person B with a 20-year maximum when death results. The table also renumbers the corresponding existing offenses involving assaulting, resisting, or obstructing certain persons.

The act takes effect 90 days after enactment and is contingent on enactment of Senate Bill No. S00705’25 or House Bill No. 4532.

The bill revises Minnesota Statutes section 609.2231, subdivision 2, to address fourth-degree assault involving municipal or volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel performing their duties. The offense applies when the assault inflicts demonstrable bodily harm and remains punishable as a felony by up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $4,000, or both.

It also adds subdivision 2b, creating a separate felony offense for physically assaulting and inflicting demonstrable bodily harm on a physician, nurse, or other person providing health care services. The same maximum penalties apply: two years’ imprisonment, a $4,000 fine, or both. Both provisions apply to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2025.

The legislation amends Minnesota Statutes to enhance criminal penalties for assaults against firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and certain healthcare providers. The changes aim to provide greater protection for these essential workers who face physical harm while performing their duties.

Under the new provisions, individuals who physically assault the specified personnel and cause demonstrable bodily harm may be charged with a felony. The penalties vary depending on the victim's profession, with increased consequences for assaults against firefighters and emergency medical personnel.

This legislation is designed to address the growing concern for the safety of those in public safety, emergency medical services, and healthcare industries. By increasing the penalties for such assaults, the law seeks to deter violence against these critical workers.

The effective date for these changes is set for August 1, 2025, and they will apply to crimes committed on or after that date.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill repeals numerous health-care-related provisions and enacts 80 new sections. It establishes public-health observances and programs, including Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness Week, Blood Donor Awareness Month, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, Infertility Awareness Week, Rare Pediatric Disease Week, and PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day. It creates a Pediatric Disease Task Force, beginning January 1, 2027, to coordinate research on genetic and pediatric diseases and issue annual reports through December 31, 2030; a Sickle Cell Standing Committee; a dementia services coordinator; and expanded maternal-mortality review responsibilities, including identifying maternity-care deserts, examining racial inequities, improving data collection, and ensuring representation from every congressional district.

The bill creates the Missouri Lyme Disease Eradication Act, requiring reporting of confirmed or suspected Lyme disease cases within seven days, annual public reporting, coordination with higher-education institutions, a Lyme Research and Eradication Fund, and a Lyme Disease Task Force. At least 20% of fund resources must support eradication efforts in rural counties. Health-care providers may not be disciplined solely for prescribing, administering, or dispensing medically necessary Lyme-disease or posttreatment-Lyme-disease treatments. The bill also requires laboratories to report qualifying alpha-gal immunoglobulin E results within seven days, subject to specified privacy protections, and requires the Missouri consolidated health care plan to cover diagnostic testing, treatment, and management of Lyme disease and posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome.

Major coverage and delivery changes include MO HealthNet doula coverage of at least six and, when medically necessary, up to sixteen support sessions, one birth attendance including scheduled cesarean deliveries, lactation education, and community navigation services; authorization to seek a federal waiver for a Food is Medicine program covering nutrition counseling, medically tailored groceries and meals, and produce prescriptions; reimbursement of hospital-based pathologists’ professional clinical-pathology services at no less than 30% of the applicable technical-component fee schedule; and coverage of prescribed home blood-pressure monitoring for pregnant and postpartum women when medically appropriate. Health plans must provide specified contraceptive supplies, prohibit time limits or exclusion of anesthesia time in payment calculations, and comply with new 340B nondiscrimination rules enforceable by civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation per day. Hospitals may not pursue collection actions for debts incurred while materially out of compliance with federal price-transparency requirements. New prior-authorization requirements include prescription-drug electronic processes by July 1, 2028, health-care-service APIs by January 1, 2028, public approval and denial statistics, and annual reporting on authorization practices.

Other changes expand use of epinephrine delivery systems by schools, ambulances, first responders, and authorized entities; authorize pharmacists to dispense ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine without a prescription under board procedures and to prescribe specified medical devices; revise pharmacist vaccine authority; and permit broader telemedicine evaluations subject to provider-patient relationship and recordkeeping requirements. Child-care providers must adopt allergy-prevention policies by July 1, 2028, and children entering state custody must receive a physical examination within 72 hours and developmental, behavioral, and emotional screening within 30 days. The bill raises the annual pseudoephedrine purchase and distribution threshold from 43 to 61.2 grams and requires manufacturers to pay monthly tracking-system fees beginning October 1, 2026. It also removes the expiration of the Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program and RX Cares for Missouri Program, eliminates the statutory prohibition on Missouri state-based or federally facilitated health-benefit-exchange activities, extends disabled placard renewal periods from four to eight years, creates mandatory critical-incident mental-health check-ins for peace officers and first responders, and permits court detention applications for mental-health evaluation without notarization when executed by specified officials or providers.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds Section 575.356 to Missouri law, creating the offense of impeding, threatening, or harassing a first responder. A person commits the offense when, after receiving an oral warning not to approach from someone the person knows or reasonably should know is a first responder lawfully performing duties, the person knowingly and willfully violates the warning by approaching or remaining within 25 feet, intending to impede or interfere with the responder’s duties, threaten the responder with physical harm, or harass the responder.

The offense is a class C misdemeanor. “First responder” includes law enforcement officers, parole or probation officers, firefighters, and emergency medical care providers. The definition of emergency medical care provider covers ambulance drivers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, registered nurses, physicians, and medical directors, as well as certain hospital physicians, employees, agents, or volunteers performing duties directly associated with emergency-department care or security. “Harass” means willfully engaging in a course of conduct directed at a first responder that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose.

The proposed legislation introduces a new section to the Revised Statutes of Missouri that establishes the offense of impeding, threatening, or harassing first responders. This offense occurs when an individual knowingly approaches or remains within fifty feet of a first responder after receiving a warning, with the intent to interfere with their duties or cause them harm.

The legislation aims to provide legal protections for first responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical care providers, against harassment and interference while they perform their essential duties. By addressing these behaviors, the bill seeks to enhance the safety and effectiveness of emergency services and public safety operations.

While the legislation does not outline specific monetary impacts or implementation dates, it is expected to influence industries related to emergency services and law enforcement by reinforcing the importance of protecting first responders in their line of work.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill repeals and reenacts specified Missouri criminal-offense provisions and adds concurrent jurisdiction for the attorney general to prosecute violations of the stalking, harassment, cyberharassment, cyberstalking, intimate-digital-depiction, and sadistic-online-exploitation statutes when conduct occurs in more than one Missouri jurisdiction. It also creates a class A misdemeanor for knowingly violating a no-contact condition of release in a criminal case, in addition to forfeiture of release security. Orders of protection may expressly address cyberstalking and may direct a wireless provider to transfer billing responsibility and rights to an existing telephone number to the protected petitioner. The provider must receive the order, notify the petitioner within three business days if a technical or operational limitation prevents transfer, and is protected from civil liability for actions taken pursuant to the order; the petitioner assumes service and device costs and remains subject to customary account-establishment requirements.

The bill revises assault and domestic-assault terminology and grading by replacing specified references to physical or serious physical injury with bodily harm or great bodily harm, adds definitions including child, legal custody, sudden passion, and trier, and defines technological abuse conduct. It revises harassment recidivism provisions so enhanced penalties are based on prior convictions for the specified harassment offenses or equivalent offenses in another jurisdiction. Stalking offenses are recast to cover knowingly engaging in a course of conduct directed at a person or engaging in technological abuse conduct that would cause a reasonable person to fear death or bodily injury, fear an offense against family, a dating partner, or property, or feel harassed, terrified, or intimidated; existing special felony grading for repeat offenders and targeted law-enforcement victims is retained.

The bill creates unlawful tracking of a motor vehicle for knowingly placing an electronic tracking device without the consent of all owners to monitor or follow occupants. Exceptions cover lawful law-enforcement investigations, parental monitoring of a minor in an owned or leased vehicle, stolen vehicles or goods, authorized tracking of vulnerable adults, owner-consented tracking, rental or leasing companies, lienholders repossessing vehicles, voluntary usage-based insurance, and manufacturer-installed systems. The offense is a class A misdemeanor for a first violation and a class E felony for subsequent violations. It also creates cyberharassment, cyberstalking, disclosure of an intimate digital depiction—including realistic digitally manipulated sexual images—and sadistic online exploitation offenses, with penalties ranging from class B misdemeanors to class C felonies; provider actions in good faith to restrict such depictions or enable others to do so are excluded from liability.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill establishes workplace-violence prevention requirements for hospitals. Each hospital must create or designate a workplace-violence prevention committee including at least a direct-care registered nurse, a direct-care Missouri-licensed physician, and, if available and practicable, a facility security employee. A health care system operating multiple hospitals may use one committee if it develops a plan for each facility and keeps facility-specific violence data separately identifiable.

Each hospital must adopt and enforce a written, practice-setting-based workplace-violence prevention plan. The plan must support confidential reporting and protect reporters from retaliation; define covered violence to include physical-force acts or threats likely to cause physical injury or psychological trauma and firearm or dangerous-weapon incidents regardless of injury; provide at least annual training for direct-care personnel; establish incident-response and investigation procedures; address physical security; solicit employee input; permit reporting through existing occurrence-reporting systems; and, when practicable, adjust assignments so personnel do not treat patients who intentionally abused or threatened them. Committees must review plans annually and report to the hospital’s governing body, and hospitals must provide employees and health care professionals copies on request, subject to redaction of information posing a security threat.

Hospitals must offer immediate postincident services, including necessary acute medical treatment, to directly involved personnel; may not discourage reports to law enforcement; and may not discipline, discriminate against, or retaliate against good-faith reporters or people who advise personnel of their reporting rights. Licensing agencies may discipline violations as licensing-law violations, while hospitals and health care professionals acting in good-faith compliance receive civil and criminal liability immunity. Hospitals must also display a specified assault-warning sign in emergency-department and labor-and-delivery waiting rooms.

The bill adds an assault-in-the-fourth-degree offense for knowingly causing physical pain to a “special victim.” The offense is generally a class A misdemeanor, escalates to a class E felony after one prior assault conviction or guilty plea and to a class D felony after two or more, and carries no fine or eligibility for probation or parole until at least six months of incarceration for a first offense or one year for a subsequent offense.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill establishes workplace-violence prevention requirements for hospitals, ambulance services, ambulatory surgical centers, abortion facilities, behavioral health crisis centers, and urgent care behavioral crisis centers. Each facility must create or designate a committee—including a direct-care registered nurse, a direct-care physician, and, when available and practicable, a security employee—to develop a written prevention plan. The plan must address violence definitions, confidential reporting and anti-retaliation protections, annual training, incident response and investigation, physical security, employee input, reporting through existing systems, and practicable reassignment away from patients who intentionally abused or threatened staff. Facilities must review plans annually, provide them on request subject to security redactions, offer immediate postincident services and necessary acute treatment, and not discourage law-enforcement reports. Good-faith reporters and those advising employees of reporting rights are protected from discipline, discrimination, and retaliation. Licensing agencies may discipline violations, while facilities and health care professionals acting in good faith under the requirements receive civil and criminal liability protection.

The bill expands the controlled-substance prescribing authority available to qualifying advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). In addition to Schedule III–V substances and Schedule II hydrocodone, collaborative practice arrangements may authorize Schedule II controlled substances for hospice patients and Schedule II stimulants for behavioral-health patients. Hospice prescribing requires employment by a chapter 197-certified hospice provider and care under an arrangement identifying the hospice as an authorized practice and prescribing location. Existing limits remain for Schedule III narcotic and Schedule II hydrocodone prescriptions, which are limited to a 120-hour supply without refill, and the prohibition on prescribing controlled substances for the APRN’s own use or family remains.

APRNs who have completed 2,000 documented practice hours with a collaborating physician and whose licenses are in good standing are no longer required to enter into or remain in a collaborative practice arrangement; licensure-by-endorsement applicants may establish eligibility through the same documented practice-hour threshold. Their prescriptive authority expressly includes controlled substances within their practice and specialty. The bill also allows an APRN seeking a controlled-substance prescriptive-authority certificate to qualify either through delegated authority in a collaborative arrangement with a physician holding an unrestricted federal DEA registration and comparable practice, or by documenting at least 2,000 hours of advanced-practice nursing under the independent-practice provision.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds workplace-violence prevention requirements for hospitals. Each hospital must establish a workplace violence prevention committee, or authorize an existing committee, to develop a written prevention plan. The committee must include a direct-care registered nurse, a licensed physician providing direct care, and, if one exists and if practicable, a facility security employee. A health care system operating multiple hospitals may use one committee if the plan is implemented separately at each hospital and violence-prevention data remains identifiable by facility.

Each hospital must adopt and enforce a setting-specific plan protecting health care professionals and employees from violence and threats. The plan must encourage confidential reporting with retaliation protections; define covered violence to include physical-force acts or threats likely to cause physical injury or psychological trauma and firearm or dangerous-weapon incidents regardless of injury; provide at least annual training for direct-care personnel; establish incident-response and investigation procedures; address safety and security; solicit employee input; permit reporting through existing systems; and, when practicable, adjust assignments to avoid having personnel treat patients who intentionally abused or threatened them. The committee must review the plan annually and report to the hospital’s governing body, and the hospital must provide an electronic or printed copy on request, subject to security-related redactions.

After a workplace-violence incident, the hospital must offer directly involved personnel immediate post-incident services, including necessary acute medical treatment. Hospitals may not discourage law-enforcement reporting, and no person may discipline, discriminate against, or retaliate against someone who in good faith reports an incident or advises another person of the right to report. Licensing agencies may discipline violations as licensing-law violations; hospitals and health care professionals acting in good faith to comply receive civil and criminal liability immunity. Hospitals must also display a specified warning sign in emergency-department and labor-and-delivery waiting rooms stating that assaulting a health care professional performing official duties is a serious crime subject to prosecution.

Adds Section 575.356 to Missouri law, creating the offense of impeding, threatening, or harassing a first responder. A person commits the offense when, after receiving an oral warning not to approach from a person the individual knows or reasonably should know is a first responder lawfully performing official duties, the individual knowingly and willfully violates the warning by approaching or remaining within 25 feet, with intent to impede or interfere with the duties, threaten physical harm, or harass the first responder.

The offense is classified as a class D misdemeanor. “First responder” includes law enforcement officers, parole or probation officers, firefighters, and emergency medical care providers. Emergency medical care providers include specified ambulance, emergency, medical, and hospital personnel, including authorized hospital personnel performing duties directly associated with emergency-department care, treatment, or security.

“Harass” means willfully engaging in a course of conduct directed at a first responder that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose.

The document discusses a legislative act that repeals the sunset provision related to the reporting and disclosure of violence against health care employees. This repeal specifically targets the health care industry, emphasizing the importance of safety and effective reporting mechanisms for health care workers.

By repealing Section 4 of Chapter 516 from the Laws of 2023, the act aims to enhance the protection of health care employees from violence. The changes introduced by this act will take effect immediately upon its passage and approval.

Overall, the act seeks to ensure ongoing accountability and transparency in addressing violence against health care workers, thereby promoting a safer working environment in the health care sector.

The document outlines proposed amendments to Nebraska's criminal code, focusing on enhancing protections for health care workers, public safety officers, and frontline behavioral health providers against assaults. The amendments aim to prohibit such assaults and introduce increased penalties for offenders, which may lead to heightened legal consequences and operational costs for affected industries.

Key changes include the classification of certain assaults as felonies, which could result in increased legal costs and liability issues for healthcare facilities, emergency services, and behavioral health providers. The legislation emphasizes the need for hospitals and health care facilities to display warnings about the legal repercussions of assaulting professionals in these fields.

Additionally, the amendments address unlawful membership recruitment into organizations involved in criminal activities, classifying it as a Class IV felony. This could have implications for various sectors, including healthcare, retail, and public safety, as it relates to organized crime and its impact on businesses.

The document also highlights various criminal offenses, including those related to habitual criminality, which may lead to enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. While specific monetary impacts are not detailed, the potential for increased costs in the criminal justice system is implied due to longer sentences and heightened enforcement.

Overall, the proposed changes aim to strengthen legal protections for professionals in critical roles, potentially resulting in increased operational costs and legal accountability for businesses in the healthcare and public safety sectors.

The document discusses amendments to section 28-929.01 of the Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, which will modify the definitions related to emergency care providers and health care professionals. The amendments specifically include certain employees of hospitals and health clinics within the scope of specific assault statutes.

The original section 28-929.01 will be repealed as part of these changes. While the text does not provide specific monetary impacts or detail the business industries that may be affected, it indicates a shift in the legal framework surrounding the protection of health care professionals.

The effective date for these changes is not explicitly stated, but it is implied that they will take effect following the passage of the bill.

The document outlines proposed amendments to Nebraska's criminal statutes, focusing on enhancing legal protections for professionals in health care and public safety. Key changes include the introduction of penalties for assaults on pharmacists and modifications to existing provisions regarding assaults on public safety officers and health care professionals. The amendments aim to strengthen penalties for crimes committed against pregnant women and establish new classifications for assaults on health care professionals, emergency responders, and pharmacists.

The amendments primarily impact the health care industry, including hospitals, health clinics, and pharmacies, as well as public safety sectors such as law enforcement and emergency services. The proposed changes are expected to lead to increased legal protections for employees in these fields, addressing the rising concerns over assaults against them.

Additionally, the document highlights various criminal offenses that may affect multiple business industries, particularly those related to pharmaceuticals, property management, finance, and public safety. Offenses such as controlled substances violations, theft, fraud, and racketeering are discussed, indicating a tightening of legal definitions and classifications that could result in increased scrutiny and compliance requirements for affected sectors.

The amendments also emphasize the need for compliance measures, including signage requirements for hospitals and pharmacies to inform the public about the legal consequences of assaults on health care professionals. This may incur additional costs for businesses in these industries as they adapt to the new legal landscape.

Overall, the proposed changes reflect a significant effort to enhance the protection of individuals in critical roles within public safety and health care, while imposing stricter penalties for assaults against them, thereby aiming to improve safety and accountability in these essential sectors.

FULL SUMMARY

The proposal establishes New Hampshire Labor rules governing health-care workplace-violence data reporting and confidentiality under RSA 277-C and RSA 151-J. Health facilities must report workplace-violence incidents and hostile words monthly on a Commission-approved form, submit the annual information required by RSA 277-C:2(IV) plus any additional relevant information, and send reports to the Department of Labor by mail or email. Monthly reports must be submitted at least one week before a noticed Commission meeting and no later than the second Friday of each month.

Monthly submissions must be complete and include the information required by RSA 277-C:2(IV-a)(1)-(7), using the Commission-approved form. Patient names and other identifiable personal information may not be included, although a facility may attach a police report containing such information. The Department must review submissions and redact identifiable personal information as necessary before publishing data in its annual report.

Records submitted to or collected by the Commission, other than police reports, would be confidential and privileged under RSA 151-J:5 and exempt from requests under RSA 91-A. The Commission’s annual report would be public, but its process and outcome information must consist only of aggregate data and may not identify individual patients, incidents, or health-care providers or facilities.

The document proposes a legislative change that establishes felony-level offenses for assaults on firefighters, emergency medical care providers, and law enforcement officers. It introduces provisions for immediate arrest without a warrant for individuals suspected of such assaults, with criteria for assessing dangerousness.

The effective date for these changes is set for January 1, 2026. The financial impacts of the bill are indeterminable for both state and local expenditures, with no expected revenue generated. Potential costs may arise for the judicial and correctional systems, including prosecution, incarceration, probation, and parole.

Additionally, the bill may indirectly influence various business industries, particularly those involved in public safety and emergency services, due to the enhanced legal protections for their personnel.

The law adds a Hampstead Hospital representative, appointed by the hospital, to the Health Care Workplace Safety Commission. It also repeals the exemption for state-operated medical facilities, bringing those facilities within the commission’s jurisdiction.

Health facilities must use a common reporting form, developed through Department of Labor rules, to submit workplace-violence and hostile-words incident reports to the Department of Labor monthly. The required monthly reports must preserve the distinction between workplace violence and hostile words and include the incident information specified for commission reporting, while protecting identifiable personal information under the applicable confidentiality requirements.

The commission’s annual reports are expressly made nonconfidential, but information about processes or outcomes must remain aggregate data and may not identify individual incidents, patients, health care providers, or institutions, consistent with RSA 151-J:5. The law took effect August 9, 2025.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill raises aggravated assault to a first-degree crime when committed during and at the scene of a civil disturbance, resulting in serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency first-aid or medical services provider, or correctional or sheriff’s personnel. The offense carries a mandatory minimum 10-year term of imprisonment and a 10-year period of parole ineligibility. “Civil disturbance” is defined to include specified riot, public-brawl, public-gathering, obstruction, meeting or procession, funeral, transportation, gang-criminality, and dog-fighting offenses. The bill also provides that a conviction for assaulting a law enforcement officer under the specified aggravated-assault provision does not merge with another criminal conviction and removes the prior limitation governing application of the No Early Release Act to that offense.

The bill removes the statutory presumption of pretrial release for a defendant charged with the specified aggravated assault if it was committed during and at the scene of a civil disturbance and resulted in serious bodily injury. The change applies to assaults against the same four categories of protected personnel. The act takes effect immediately.

The Department of Human Services received a petition on July 27, 2026, seeking new rules for Department-licensed facilities and employees addressing client-perpetrated workplace violence against social workers and healthcare workers. The proposed rules would establish enhanced violence-prevention measures, reporting requirements, alarm and alert systems, behavioral-expectation signage, anti-retaliation protections, and annual audits. The Department will later mail the petitioner and file with the Office of Administrative Law a notice stating its action on the petition.

FULL SUMMARY

The Department of Health received a petition on July 24, 2026, requesting new workplace-violence-prevention requirements for licensed healthcare facilities under N.J.A.C. 8:43E-11. The petition proposes an enhanced workplace violence prevention section covering physical assaults, threats, harassment, stalking, intimidation, and related conduct; it does not itself impose these requirements.

The proposed rules would require covered facilities to maintain an electronic alert system for prior violent or threatening conduct; provide incident-reporting systems allowing reports within 10 minutes, review reports within 72 hours, document supervisory responses, and give employees written notice of dispositions; and distinguish staff emergencies, cardiac arrests, fires, security emergencies, and active-assailant events through separate alarm signals. Facilities would also have to post specified warnings against violence and abusive conduct, permit workers to use first names and last initials on public badges unless federal law requires full surnames, prohibit retaliation for reporting or participating in prevention activities, conduct annual violence-prevention audits and submit the results to the Department, and annually report incident counts, injuries, law-enforcement referrals, corrective actions, and training-compliance rates.

The Department will subsequently mail the petitioner and file with the Office of Administrative Law a notice stating its action on the petition, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 1:30-4.3.

The resolution memorializes Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026 as Workplace Violence Prevention Month in New York State. It cites the goal of increasing awareness to prevent and combat workplace violence and highlights that healthcare workers are reported by the federal government to be five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other industries. Copies are to be transmitted to the governor and specified emergency-physician and nursing organizations.

The bill adds a new section 2832 to New York’s Public Health Law requiring every facility licensed under the relevant article to establish a workplace violence prevention plan beginning January 1, 2026. Facilities must develop the plan in consultation with affected employees and any recognized collective bargaining representatives, update it annually, and include a safety and security assessment addressing the facility’s layout, staffing levels, crime in surrounding areas, and the adequacy of existing training and protective measures.

The plan must also specify policies to reduce identified risks, including measures involving training, staffing, security, equipment, and facility modifications. It must establish procedures for reporting violent incidents to facility security, administration, local law enforcement, and the state Department of Health. Facilities must provide the plan, upon request, to employees and the Department of Health. The act takes effect immediately.

The bill adds a registered security guard working in a hospital or health care facility to Penal Law § 120.05(3). It thereby applies the existing second-degree assault provision when a person intentionally uses or fails to control an animal to obstruct the guard from performing a lawful duty and causes physical injury to the guard (pages 1–2).

It also adds such registered security guards to Penal Law § 120.05(11), which covers intentionally causing physical injury to specified transit-related personnel and other listed public-service workers while performing assigned duties or duties directly related to transit operations and facilities. The changes include the guard in the protected-person and injury provisions and make related grammatical revisions (pages 2–3). The act takes effect 90 days after becoming law.

The bill adds an elected official to the categories of protected persons under Penal Law § 120.05(3), which classifies as assault in the second degree a person’s intentional use of an animal to obstruct a protected person’s lawful duties when physical injury results. The change applies both to the person whose lawful duty the actor intends to prevent and to the person who suffers the physical injury. It also makes corresponding grammatical and list-ordering revisions. The act would take effect 180 days after becoming law.

The bill adds Penal Law § 120.05-a, making assault in the second degree on a police officer or peace officer a class C felony when a person intends to prevent the officer from performing a lawful duty, including by releasing or failing to control an animal intended to obstruct the officer, and thereby causes physical injury. It removes police officers and peace officers from the corresponding animal-related provision in Penal Law § 120.05(3).

It raises the classification of assault under Penal Law § 120.08, involving serious physical injury to a peace officer, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services professional while preventing a lawful duty, from a class C felony to a class B felony. It also raises aggravated assault upon a police officer or peace officer under Penal Law § 120.11, involving serious physical injury caused by a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, from a class B felony to a class A felony. The act takes effect November 1 following the date it becomes law.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill amends Penal Law § 120.05(3) and (11) to replace the existing references to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses with a broader list of protected medical personnel. The list includes physicians, physician assistants, health care providers, primary care practitioners and physicians, nurses and nursing professionals—including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nursing assistants, and licensed practical nurses—ambulance personnel, hospital directors and medical directors, and hospital employees, attendants, agents, and volunteers. These categories are incorporated into the provisions covering conduct intended to prevent a protected person from performing a lawful duty and conduct causing that person physical injury.

The same expanded coverage is applied in the transit-related assault provision to medical personnel and hospital staff who are among the protected persons, including when performing assigned duties on or directly related to train or bus operations, station or terminal cleaning, customer assistance, ticket or revenue collection, and related transit maintenance. The bill also changes gendered references from “he or she causes” to “they cause.” The act takes effect 90 days after becoming law.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill expands the categories of medical and hospital personnel covered by aggravated-assault provisions in Penal Law § 120.05. In subdivision 3, it replaces the references to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses with a broader list covering physicians, physician assistants, health care providers, primary care practitioners and physicians, nurses and nursing professionals—including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified or licensed nurse practitioners, certified nursing assistants, and licensed practical nurses—ambulance personnel, hospital and medical directors, and hospital employees, attendants, agents, and volunteers as defined in Public Health Law § 2801. These categories are added both to the list of persons whose lawful duties the defendant intends to prevent and to the list of persons who suffer physical injury.

The same expanded medical and hospital personnel categories are added to subdivision 11, which addresses assaults involving transit personnel and related workers. The changes cover the provision requiring intent to cause physical injury and the provision applying when a listed person is performing an assigned duty connected with transit operations, station or terminal services, ticketing, maintenance, cleaning, or related functions. The bill also replaces gender-specific references with gender-neutral wording in the affected provisions.

The act takes effect 60 days after becoming law.

The bill expands the medical personnel and hospital personnel covered by Penal Law § 120.05(3) and (11), which address assaults committed with intent to prevent specified personnel from performing lawful duties or to cause them physical injury. In place of the narrower references to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, the provisions add physicians, physician assistants, health care providers, primary care practitioners and physicians, nurses and nursing professionals (including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified or licensed nurse practitioners, certified nursing assistants, and licensed practical nurses), ambulance personnel, hospital directors and medical directors, and hospital employees, attendants, agents, and volunteers as defined by Public Health Law § 2801. The expanded coverage applies to the relevant assaults involving these personnel while performing their assigned duties, including the hospital-related duties specified in subdivision 11. The act takes effect 60 days after becoming law.

The bill amends Penal Law § 120.05(3) to expressly include physicians, as defined in Education Law article 131, among the protected personnel covered when a person intends to prevent a lawful duty and causes physical injury. Physicians are added both to the list of protected personnel whose duties are obstructed and to the corresponding list of persons who may suffer the injury.

It also amends Penal Law §§ 120.05(3-c) and 120.05(11-c) to extend the provisions protecting employees who provide direct patient care—other than nurses—to employees working in “other setting[s] where direct patient care is provided,” in addition to the specifically enumerated health-care facilities and settings. The bill replaces gendered “he or she” references with “such person.”

The act takes effect on the ninetieth day after becoming law.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds Public Health Law § 2832, requiring every general hospital and nursing home to establish a workplace-violence prevention program within 12 months after the act’s effective date. General-hospital programs must align with specified federal hospital safety and emergency-preparedness requirements and comparable accrediting-organization standards, and must protect workers, patients, residents, and visitors. Nursing homes satisfy the requirement by complying with specified federal workplace-violence and emergency-preparedness regulations, provided their assessments and plans address workplace-violence threats and hazards.

Beginning January 1, 2027, each general hospital must conduct at least annually a workplace-safety and security assessment and develop a corresponding plan. The assessment must involve employees and recognized collective-bargaining representatives, consider incident data, complaints, facility layout, access controls, visitor management, training, and procedures for disruptive or violent individuals, and include training for health care workers regularly assigned to security. Hospitals must update plans for newly identified material risks, adopt appropriate preventive measures, provide employees and bargaining representatives with a written plan summary and incident-reporting information, and share appropriately redacted incident-log summaries, trends, and analyses with the responsible safety or security committee.

The bill also adds Public Health Law § 2832-a, requiring hospitals in cities or counties with populations of at least one million to maintain an off-duty law-enforcement officer or trained security personnel in the emergency department at all times, subject to adjustments for emergent circumstances. Hospitals in smaller jurisdictions must maintain at least one such officer or security employee on the premises at all times, with a physical presence near or directly responsible for the emergency department. Critical access, sole community, and rural emergency hospitals are initially exempt, but the Commissioner must work with an exempt hospital to achieve compliance if violence or abuse of emergency-department personnel increases by a Commissioner-determined amount, based on internal program reports or law-enforcement reports. The act takes effect 280 days after becoming law.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds Public Health Law § 2832, requiring every general hospital and nursing home to establish a workplace violence prevention program within 12 months after the act takes effect. General hospital programs must conform to specified federal hospital safety and emergency-preparedness requirements and applicable accrediting-organization workplace-violence standards, and must protect health care workers, patients, residents, and visitors. Beginning January 1, 2027, each general hospital must conduct at least annually a workplace-safety and security assessment and develop a plan addressing identified threats and hazards, with active employee and collective-bargaining representative involvement.

The assessment must consider incident reports and logs, complaints, facility layout and access, visitor management, engineering controls, alarms, communications, training, and procedures for disruptive or violent individuals. Hospitals must implement and periodically update plans identifying risk-reduction measures; provide employees and applicable bargaining representatives with a detailed written plan summary and information on reporting violence; share appropriately redacted incident-log summaries, trends, and analysis with the responsible safety or security committee; and train health care workers regularly assigned to security duties. Nursing homes satisfy the section’s requirements through compliance with specified federal workplace-violence and emergency-preparedness regulations, provided their assessments and plans address workplace-violence threats and hazards.

The bill adds Public Health Law § 2832-a, requiring general hospitals in cities or counties with populations of at least one million to maintain an off-duty law-enforcement officer or trained security personnel in the emergency department at all times, subject to adjustments for emergent circumstances. Hospitals in smaller jurisdictions must maintain at least one such officer or security employee on the premises continuously, prioritizing physical presence near or close to the emergency department and direct responsibility for it. Critical access, sole community, and rural emergency hospitals are initially exempt, but the Commissioner must work with an exempt hospital to achieve compliance if violence or abuse of emergency-department personnel increases by a Commissioner-determined amount, based on internal program reporting or law-enforcement reports. The act takes effect 280 days after becoming law.

FULL SUMMARY

Oregon OSHA proposes a new OAR 437-002-0150 requiring hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, and home hospice programs—but not the Oregon State Hospital—to maintain a written workplace-violence prevention and response program. Employers must base the plan on periodic security and safety assessments; address facility characteristics, staffing, personnel policies, emergency procedures, incident reporting, and training; investigate incidents; conduct post-incident interviews; provide first aid or medical care and trauma counseling; and give employees and, where applicable, union representatives the plan and a nonretaliation statement. Newly hired employees must receive these materials within 30 calendar days of hire.

The proposed program also requires consultation with safety committees or employees at safety meetings on incident investigation and reporting, periodic assessments, annual program review, and annual training. Employers must assess incidents using available records for the preceding five years, analyze root causes and consequences, identify corrective actions, document implementation of security measures, and review assessments with the safety committee. Training is required within 90 days for new nontemporary employees, within 14 days for temporary employees, for contracted security personnel, annually thereafter, and again when program or workplace conditions require retraining. Training must cover emergency response, workplace-violence risks and escalation, de-escalation, restraint and self-defense limits, reporting, counseling, active-shooter response, and related program procedures.

OAR 437-001-0295 would be changed to expressly permit employees or prospective employees to file discrimination complaints when they report in good faith an assault or other workplace-violence incident at a health care employer’s premises or in a patient’s home during home health care. OAR 437-001-0706 would be retitled “Recordkeeping for Health Care Workplace Violence,” revised to cover the four health care employer categories and updated statutory definitions, require a workplace-violence incident log or equivalent in addition to general recordkeeping, update Appendix A and cross-references to injury-reporting rules, and remove the separate appendix listing related statutes. The proposed rules are scheduled for remote hearings on August 11, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. and August 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.; comments are due by August 31, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; and the housing-impact statement identifies a tentative effective date of January 2027.

FULL SUMMARY

Effective February 1, 2026, the Oregon Health Authority updates rules for home health agencies, hospice programs, special inpatient care facilities, hospitals, and related facilities. Home health and hospice waiver requests, including those for special inpatient care facilities, must now assess possible effects on people from different backgrounds and cultures, people with disabilities or limited English proficiency, lower-income households, and people based on gender identity or sexual orientation; explain how impacts were assessed; and propose mitigation measures for disproportionately affected populations. Home health geographic-service waivers may also support service to underserved areas or populations, and home health and hospice licensure provisions clarify workforce-capacity documentation and related terminology.

Effective May 1, 2026, new workforce-violence prevention rules apply to home health agencies, hospice programs, and freestanding hospice facilities. They must conduct intake risk assessments covering violence history, pets, pests, and weapons; establish processes to obtain a referred patient’s known hospital violence history from the preceding 12 months; share collected safety information with assigned personnel; provide annual safety training and quarterly safety assessments; enable patient identity verification and personnel safety checks; and adopt policies allowing off-site documentation and escorts when safety concerns exist. New flagging-system rules for these providers, hospitals, and special inpatient care facilities require written protocols for electronic health record and visual flags, bias-aware authorization and training, documented reasons and recommended precautions, annual EHR review, privacy protections, and a process to request flag removal. A flag alone may not be used to deny eligible services or appropriate care, restrict access or complaints, deny protected health information, punish a patient, or contact law enforcement except where necessary to prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat.

Hospitals must establish policies to share a referred patient’s known violence history from the preceding 12 months with home health or hospice providers and maintain annual flagging-system protocols; hospital satellites must comply with the flagging requirements. Changes to hospital construction and facility standards incorporate numerous updates to the 2018 FGI hospital and outpatient guidelines and add operational, infection-control, accessibility, imaging, dialysis, emergency-power, psychiatric-safety, and documentation requirements. For new construction or emergency-department alterations, emergency-department registration intake areas must use bullet-resistant glazing, doors, and walls providing UL 752 Level 3 protection extending from the floor to seven feet, with specified sidewall coverage. Additional changes clarify emergency triage documentation and public/patient communications, hospice complaint confidentiality and reporting procedures, personnel-safety notifications, and related facility-policy requirements.

The Oregon Health Authority has proposed significant rule changes aimed at enhancing workplace safety and addressing health disparities within the healthcare industry. These changes particularly affect Home Health Agencies, Hospice Programs, Special Inpatient Care Facilities, outpatient psychiatric centers, and mobile medical units. Key requirements include the development of workplace violence prevention programs, which encompass risk assessments, staff training, and safety checks, as well as the establishment of flagging systems to manage potential threats while upholding patient rights.

Healthcare facilities will incur costs related to training programs, policy development, and compliance measures, which may impact their operational budgets. For hospitals, the installation of bullet-resistant barriers in emergency departments is expected to be a significant expense. Additionally, the proposed rules emphasize the need for equity analyses to evaluate the impact of waivers on diverse populations, requiring additional staffing and resources.

Outpatient psychiatric centers with pediatric services must provide separate areas for pediatric patients or ensure temporal separation from adult services. All public areas are required to be monitored through electronic surveillance, and while support areas may be shared, they must comply with state and federal regulations. New provisions for mobile medical units include exemptions for certain imaging units during renovations and the requirement for hand-washing stations or sanitization dispensers.

The amendments also mandate that specialty clinical services have a single-patient exam room and that all imaging facility installations comply with local and state regulations, with licensing from the Oregon Health Authority. These regulatory changes are designed to improve the safety and quality of care in healthcare facilities while ensuring compliance with federal standards and promoting equitable care.

The document outlines a new act aimed at preventing workplace violence in health care settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health care agencies. It mandates the establishment of violence prevention committees within these facilities, ensuring that at least half of the committee members are nonmanagement employees who are directly involved in patient care or public interaction.

These committees are tasked with conducting initial and annual risk assessments, reviewing incidents of workplace violence on a quarterly basis, and developing a comprehensive written violence prevention program. Additionally, they are responsible for providing training to employees at the time of hire and on an annual basis thereafter.

Employees are required to report any incidents of workplace violence immediately, and health facilities must maintain records of these incidents for a minimum of three years. Reports of incidents must be submitted to the committee within 72 hours of occurrence.

The act aims to enhance workplace safety and accountability in the healthcare industry, focusing on the protection of employees and patients alike. It emphasizes the importance of proactive measures in addressing and preventing violence in health care environments.

The document outlines the establishment of violence prevention committees in health facilities across Pennsylvania to address workplace violence. These committees will be responsible for assessing risks, providing employee training, and ensuring compliance with workplace violence prevention measures.

The act primarily targets health facilities, including hospitals, long-term care nursing facilities, home health care agencies, abortion facilities, ambulatory surgical facilities, birth centers, hospices, and both private and public psychiatric hospitals.

By mandating these committees, the act aims to enhance safety protocols within health facilities, ultimately fostering a safer work environment for employees.

A new grant program has been established in Pennsylvania to reduce workplace violence against health care workers. This initiative aims to provide financial support to hospitals and freestanding emergency medical care facilities for security enhancements that protect their staff.

The program will offer grants ranging from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $200,000. Recipients of grants between $25,001 and $75,000 are required to contribute 33% of the requested amount, while those receiving grants between $75,001 and $200,000 must provide a 50% contribution. An initial funding allocation of $5,000,000 has been designated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

The application process for these grants will commence no later than March 1, 2025, with rolling applications accepted thereafter starting on October 1, 2025, and continuing each October 1. The authority to award grants will remain in effect until July 1, 2035.

This program is designed to encourage innovative strategies to enhance the safety and security of health care workers, addressing the increasing issue of workplace violence in the health care sector.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds South Carolina Code Section 16-3-1092, creating the Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Act. It defines “emergency medical care provider” as specified medical personnel and hospital volunteers providing or assisting with care in a hospital emergency department, and “first responder” as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, certified EMS worker, or paramedic.

After receiving a verbal warning, a person may not knowingly and willfully violate a direction from a first responder engaged in lawful duties to stand a reasonable distance away—up to 25 feet—when intending to impede or interfere with the responder’s duties or to offer or attempt physical harm under circumstances creating a reasonable fear of imminent injury. Similar conduct is prohibited after a warning from an emergency medical care provider treating an emergency in a hospital emergency department when the person approaches or remains close enough to prevent safe, unencumbered treatment, with intent to interfere with care or offer or attempt physical harm.

A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. The act takes effect upon the Governor’s approval.

The document outlines amendments to the South Carolina Code of Laws that specifically address assault and battery offenses against healthcare professionals and correctional facility employees. These changes aim to enhance protections for individuals working in these critical sectors.

The amendments introduce stricter penalties for assaults targeting healthcare professionals, which will impact hospitals, clinics, and other medical establishments. Similarly, the legislation addresses assaults against employees in correctional facilities, affecting prisons and detention centers.

By imposing harsher consequences for such offenses, the amendments seek to deter violence against these vulnerable workers and promote a safer working environment. The anticipated effective date for these changes is upon approval by the Governor, expected on or after April 30, 2025.

FULL SUMMARY

The proposal establishes new 26 TAC §551.51, Workplace Violence Prevention, for intermediate care facilities for individuals with an intellectual disability or related conditions. Each facility must create or designate a workplace violence prevention committee, including at least a direct-care registered nurse, a direct-care Texas-licensed physician, and, when available and practicable, a security employee. Organizations operating multiple facilities may use one committee if it develops and maintains separately identified plans for each facility.

Each facility must adopt, implement, and enforce written workplace-violence prevention policies and facility-specific plans. Policies must consider committee recommendations, encourage confidential reporting, protect against retaliation, and comply with HHSC requirements. Plans must define workplace violence to include qualifying physical-force acts or threats and any firearm or dangerous-weapon incident; provide at least annual training, security measures, incident response and investigation procedures, employee input, reporting through existing systems, and—when possible—adjusted care assignments after intentional physical abuse or threats by a resident. Committees must review plans annually and report to the governing body; facilities must provide electronic or printed copies on request, subject to redaction of security-sensitive information.

Following an incident, facilities must offer immediate services, including necessary acute medical care, must not discourage law-enforcement contact or police reports, and must prohibit punishment, suspension, termination, discrimination, or retaliation against good-faith reporters or persons informing staff of their reporting rights. Written comments are due no later than 31 days after the Texas Register issue date, and the earliest possible adoption date is October 25, 2026.

The document outlines new operational requirements for Limited Services Rural Hospitals (LSRH) in Texas, focusing on workplace violence prevention. It mandates the establishment of a workplace violence prevention committee responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan.

The committee must include at least one registered nurse, one physician, and, if applicable, one security services employee. LSRHs are required to adopt and enforce a written workplace violence prevention policy that encompasses training, incident reporting systems, and protections for employees against retaliation.

Key elements of the plan include defining "workplace violence," providing annual training, and ensuring that healthcare providers can report incidents without fear of disciplinary action. These changes aim to enhance the safety and well-being of employees in rural healthcare settings.

The implementation of these requirements may necessitate the allocation of resources for training, policy development, and compliance, potentially impacting the operations of rural hospitals in the state.

FULL SUMMARY

Utah hospitals must, by November 1, 2026, establish a workplace-violence incident reporting system. The system must record voluntarily reported incidents, prohibit discrimination or retaliation against employees who report incidents or participate in investigations, analyze the collected data, retain incident records for at least two years, and report the data quarterly to the chief medical officer and chief nursing officer. Hospitals must also report the annual number of workplace-violence incidents to the department.

The reporting system must collect the incident date and time, description, victim employees’ job categories, whether the perpetrator was a patient, visitor, or employee, and the immediate response. Hospitals must communicate the system to all employees, including during new-employee orientation; provide guidance on reporting to the hospital, security agencies, and appropriate law-enforcement authorities; and use the information to improve prevention through targeted continuing education, de-escalation training, risk identification, and violence-prevention planning. The requirements apply to general acute and specialty hospitals, and use the statutory definition of workplace violence in Section 78B-7-1101.

The bill takes effect May 6, 2026.

The document introduces a new legislative requirement for hospitals in Vermont to create and implement a comprehensive security plan aimed at preventing workplace violence and managing aggressive behaviors. This plan must be developed by a team that includes health care employees, representatives from designated agencies, and law enforcement.

A key aspect of the security plan is a security risk assessment that identifies high-risk areas within the hospital, such as the emergency department. The plan must also include employee training on safety protocols, including de-escalation techniques and trauma-informed care. Additionally, hospitals are required to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system to document and analyze incidents, thereby enhancing workplace safety.

Hospitals will need to report the costs associated with implementing their security plans, which may involve both capital investments and operational expenses. However, the act clarifies that these costs will not require additional capital investments beyond what is already mandated for the security plan.

The changes outlined in this act are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

The act amends the Code of Virginia by adding § 18.2-283.3, prohibiting the knowing and intentional possession of a firearm, a location-restricted knife (blade over 3.5 inches), or another dangerous weapon—including explosives and specified stun weapons—in any building of a public or private hospital that provides mental health or developmental services, including emergency departments and other emergency-care facilities. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor; the weapon is subject to seizure, forfeiture to the Commonwealth, and disposal under § 19.2-386.28.

The prohibition does not apply to law-enforcement personnel and specified correctional or armed-security officers acting in their official duties, persons with written hospital authorization, or persons brought to the hospital under an emergency custody or involuntary detention order. Covered hospitals must conspicuously post notice of the prohibition at each public entrance; a person may not be convicted if the required notice was not posted unless the person had actual notice.

FULL SUMMARY

The Act adds § 18.2-283.3 to the Code of Virginia, prohibiting knowingly and intentionally possessing a firearm, a knife with a blade longer than 3.5 inches, or another dangerous weapon—including explosives and stun weapons—in any public or private hospital that provides mental health or developmental services. The prohibition covers hospital buildings, emergency departments, and other facilities providing emergency medical care. Violations are Class 1 misdemeanors; the weapon is subject to seizure and forfeiture to the Commonwealth for disposal under § 19.2-386.28.

The prohibition excludes people acting in the official duties of specified law-enforcement, correctional, or armed-security positions; individuals with written authorization from the hospital, including authorization within an employee’s scope of employment; and people brought to the hospital under an emergency custody or involuntary detention order. Hospitals must conspicuously post notice of the prohibition at each public entrance, and a person may not be convicted if the required notice was not posted unless the person had actual notice. The Act also states that implementation may increase imprisonment or commitment periods and invokes the statutory criminal-sentencing fiscal-impact requirement.

FULL SUMMARY

The bill adds workplace-violence facility-level data to the health-records exemption under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Hospitals’ incident data must remain confidential, although aggregate statistical summaries may be disclosed by health-planning region after personally identifying information is removed.

It revises the minimum information hospitals with emergency departments must retain for at least two years about reported workplace-violence incidents. Required data categories include the affected employee’s job category, the incident location category, the type of violence or threat, the degree of any staff injury—from no injury through fatality—whether hospital or outside law enforcement was contacted and its response, and whether the incident led to a hospital-policy change.

Hospitals must provide the collected facility-level data to specified hospital leadership at least quarterly and submit it to the Department of Health annually. Each submission must include at least the number of employee-reported incidents, a statement of resulting changes to workplace-violence reporting, prevention, or other hospital policies, and no personally identifiable information; submissions are confidential and exempt from public disclosure. The Department must aggregate the data by health-planning region, remove identifying information, and publish an annual regional report covering the prior year.

The Board of Health must issue implementing regulations by January 1, 2027, and the Department of Health must issue its first report under the new reporting framework by December 31, 2027.

The Virginia State Board of Health has announced significant amendments to hospital regulations aimed at enhancing patient care and safety, particularly in emergency and obstetric settings. One of the key changes mandates that hospitals with emergency departments include fentanyl testing in urine drug screenings to better diagnose patient conditions. Additionally, hospitals are required to implement standardized protocols for identifying and responding to obstetric emergencies, ensuring that all facilities with labor and delivery services are prepared to handle such situations effectively.

Another important provision requires hospitals to report incidents of violence against healthcare providers, establishing a workplace violence incident reporting system and maintaining records for at least two years. Furthermore, certified nurse midwives and pediatric nurse practitioners may now be included on the 24-hour on-call duty roster for nursery care when a physician is unavailable, thereby improving access to care for newborns.

The regulations also emphasize the need for qualified medical directors for obstetric services and mandate specific staffing requirements during labor and postpartum care. Hospitals must develop policies that support birthing persons, including the involvement of companions or doulas during labor, and ensure adequate nurse-to-patient ratios to enhance the quality of care provided.

In terms of newborn care, hospitals are required to appoint qualified medical directors for newborn services and ensure that pediatric coverage is available around the clock. The regulations outline necessary nursing staff ratios and establish quality assurance programs to monitor and improve neonatal care. Additionally, protocols for the identification, transport, assessment, and monitoring of newborns are specified, along with guidelines for breast milk management and formula preparation.

Overall, these amendments reflect a comprehensive effort to improve healthcare standards in Virginia, particularly in maternity and neonatal care, while also addressing the critical issues of workplace safety and substance use emergencies within hospital settings.

The document discusses amendments to the definition and penalties for third-degree assault in Washington state, specifically aimed at enhancing protections for professionals such as transit operators, school bus drivers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, health care providers, and judicial employees while they perform their official duties.

These amendments expand the scope of third-degree assault to include specific safeguards for individuals in these critical roles, reflecting a growing recognition of the need for safety in public service professions.

The emphasis on protecting these workers may lead to increased operational costs for businesses, as they may need to implement additional safety measures or training to comply with the new standards.

Overall, the amendments seek to bolster legal protections for essential public service roles, which could have significant implications for workplace safety and liability across various industries.

The document outlines a legislative act aimed at preventing workplace violence in health care settings in Washington State. It requires each health care facility to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan, which must be reviewed and updated annually. The act also mandates timely investigations of workplace violence incidents, assessing contributing factors, and submitting quarterly reports to a designated committee.

The act emphasizes the importance of addressing security considerations, staffing patterns, and employee training to mitigate risks associated with workplace violence. It aims to enhance the safety and well-being of employees in health care environments.

Impacted industries include hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities. These organizations may face increased operational costs due to the implementation of safety measures, regular reporting, and necessary adjustments to their prevention plans. Financial implications could involve expenses related to staff training, security enhancements, and administrative efforts to comply with the new regulations.

The document outlines a workplace violence prevention plan specifically designed for health care settings in Washington State, set to take effect on January 1, 2026. This legislation primarily targets the health care sector, including hospitals and various health care facilities.

Under the new requirements, health care settings must develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan. This plan should encompass security considerations, staffing patterns, job design, emergency procedures, and employee training to ensure a safer work environment.

Additionally, each health care facility is mandated to conduct an annual review of workplace violence incidents, making necessary adjustments to their prevention plans based on these evaluations. Timely investigations of any incidents must also be carried out, with findings submitted to designated committees for further analysis.

Reporting requirements vary by facility size, with critical access hospitals and those with fewer than 25 acute care beds required to submit incident summaries at least twice a year, while all other settings must report quarterly. Overall, the legislation aims to enhance safety for employees in health care environments by establishing structured protocols for preventing and responding to workplace violence.

The proposed creation of a new chapter in the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) aims to address workplace violence in health care settings. This initiative requires employers in various health care sectors, including hospitals, behavioral health programs, and home care services, to establish programs that focus on preventing workplace violence and abusive behavior. The goal is to enhance safety and provide clear guidelines for employers to follow in order to protect their employees.

In addition to workplace violence prevention, new regulations are being introduced to combat discrimination, harassment, and abusive conduct specifically within home care settings. Employers will be mandated to develop comprehensive written policies that define unacceptable behaviors, outline reporting channels, and ensure that employees are protected from retaliation for reporting incidents.

Furthermore, employers will need to implement plans to prevent abusive conduct and support employees facing challenging behavior, with these plans subject to regular review by a workplace safety committee. Employers are also required to inform employees of any documented instances of discrimination or abusive conduct before assigning them to service recipients.

Record-keeping will be essential, as employers must maintain documentation of reported incidents for a minimum of five years, ensuring that these records are accessible for inspection. The regulations also stipulate that employees cannot face termination or pay reductions for requesting reassignment due to alleged discrimination or abusive conduct, promoting a safer and more supportive work environment.

Overall, these proposals represent a significant shift towards enhancing workplace safety and fostering a culture of respect and accountability in health care and home care settings, with an emphasis on compliance and employee well-being.

The bill adds West Virginia Code §17C-14-9b, designated the HALO Act. It defines “first responder” to include specified law enforcement officers, correctional probation officers, and emergency medical care providers, and defines “harass” as a course of conduct directed at a first responder that causes substantial emotional distress.

A person commits a violation after receiving a warning from a first responder who is lawfully performing a legal duty not to approach, then approaching or remaining within 14 feet of the first responder with the intent to interrupt, disrupt, hinder, impede, or interfere with the duty; threaten the first responder with physical harm; or harass the first responder by interfering with performance of the duty. The violation is a misdemeanor of obstructing an officer, punishable under West Virginia Code §61-5-17.