HF3504

Purpose

To strengthen protections for hospital and clinic security officers by making it a crime to physically assault them, and to align penalties with existing protections for other first responders and health care workers.

Main Provisions

• The bill adds hospital or clinic security officers to the list of people protected from assault under Minnesota law.
• It amends Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 609.2231, subdivision 2.
• As amended, a person who physically assaults:
  • a firefighter or emergency medical services (EMS) personnel performing their duties,
  • a physician, nurse, or other person providing health care services in a hospital emergency department, or
  • a security officer providing services in a hospital or clinic is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
• If the assault inflicts demonstrable bodily harm, the offender is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to up to three years in prison or a fine of up to $6,000, or both.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Explicitly include hospital/clinic security officers among the categories of workers protected from assault.
• Preserve the current structure where most assaults against these categories are gross misdemeanors, with a higher (felony) penalty if demonstrable bodily harm is inflicted.
• Establish consistent penalties for assaults against frontline health care and security personnel in hospital and clinic settings.

Practical Impact

• Security officers at hospitals and clinics receive formal criminal protection against assaults.
• Victims of serious assaults that cause demonstrable bodily harm face stricter penalties (felony) compared to non-damaging assaults.

Relevant to the bill’s scope are protections for: - firefighters and EMS personnel - physicians and nurses - other health care providers in hospital emergency departments - hospital/clinic security officers

Relevant terms and ideas from the bill: - gross misdemeanor - felony - demonstrable bodily harm - security officer - hospital - clinic - emergency department - health care services - physicians - nurses - emergency medical services (EMS) personnel

Relevant Terms - gross misdemeanor - felony - demonstrable bodily harm - security officer - hospital - clinic - emergency department - health care services - physicians - nurses - emergency medical services (EMS) personnel