Save Healthcare Workers Act

New federal crime for hospital assaults

If enacted, this bill would make it a federal crime to knowingly assault a hospital worker or a contractor on hospital grounds at hospitals that do business across state lines. A violator could be fined and face up to 10 years in prison. The penalty would rise to up to 20 years and a fine if a firearm or other dangerous weapon is used, the attack causes serious bodily injury, or the act occurs during a presidentially declared public emergency in that area. People with a physical, mental, or intellectual disability could use an affirmative defense if they prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the conduct was a clear result of the disability and they could not appreciate the wrongfulness of the conduct. The bill also would require a GAO study on how this change affects workplace violence prosecutions in healthcare settings.