HB 312 would protect health care workers

Legislation to protect health care employees from workplace assaults has passed the Alaska House by a vote of 31-1 and moved to the Senate for consideration.

House Bill 312 would allow for the arrest without a warrant for a fourth-degree assault in a health care facility. The bill adds an aggravator to Alaska’s felony assault statute when that assault is knowingly perpetrated against a medical professional who is performing their assigned duties.

Alaska hospitals have reported an increase in workplace violence, including assaults with physical injury against caregivers, such as being kicked, punched, spit on or verbally threatened.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, has the support of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Alaska Nurses Association, and numerous hospitals and health care centers across Alaska.

Advertisement