Protection for all hospital workers, firefighters goal of floor-bound bill

Current law criminalizes assaults on firefighters and emergency medical personnel with an offender potentially being fined $4,000 and imprisoned for two years.

Rep. Matt Grossell (R-Clearbrook) is seeking greater protection and ensuring recourse for all hospital workers and firefighters.

His bill, HF1481, would toughen penalties for someone who assaults firefighters or certain medical personnel by:

• expanding the class of protected persons from just emergency room personnel to all medical workers in a hospital;
• making it a felony to intentionally throw or transfer bodily fluids or feces onto a firefighter or medical provider who works in a hospital;
• creating a gross misdemeanor penalty for a physical assault on a firefighter or medical provider working in a hospital that does not cause demonstrable bodily harm; and
• increasing the maximum prison time from two to three years and the maximum fine from $4,000 to $6,000 for someone who assaults a firefighter or medical provider who works in a hospital when the assault causes demonstrable bodily harm.

Approved Tuesday by the House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee, the bill, as amended, was sent to the House Floor. A companion, SF1871, sponsored by Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point), awaits action by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

Rep. Matt Grossell

The bill was held over last year by the committee, but not included in omnibus public safety law.

“This is about someone striking out against someone trying to save their life,” said Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association. She told of a nurse who was seven months pregnant being kicked in the stomach by a patient, who said he’d do it again if given the chance.

Turner said the idea is not to be punitive, rather for it to be a deterrent for patients, and to show all hospital personnel that violence should not be part of the job.

Chris Parsons, president of Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters, said oftentimes it’s a bystander that causes the problem, especially if alcohol is involved.

“These people are here to help people,” Grossell said. “To give them extra protection, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Sue Abderholden, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota, expressed concern the bill would include psychiatric units where a patient may not have the capacity to know what they are doing is wrong. She suggested a misdemeanor charge for patients in such areas. Grossell and Abderholden have had discussions and plan to continue doing so as the bill moves forward.