2014 -- H 7614

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LC004201

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - ASSAULTS - HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND

FIRST RESPONDERS

     Introduced By: Representatives Marshall, Almeida, O'Brien, Martin, and Winfield

     Date Introduced: February 26, 2014

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 11-5-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-5 entitled "Assaults" is

hereby amended to read as follows:

     11-5-5. Assault of police officers and other officials. -- Any person who shall make an

assault or battery, or both, by knowingly and willfully either (1) striking, or (2) spraying with a

noxious chemical, commonly used as a personal defense weapon, including Mace and an

oleoresin capsicum product or like products, a uniformed member of the state police or

metropolitan park police, environmental police officer, state properties patrol officer, probation

and parole officers, state government case worker or investigator, judge of the supreme, superior,

family, district court, traffic tribunal or municipal court, deputy sheriff, city or town police officer

or firefighter, health care worker including without limitation a hospital employee, home health

care worker including, without limitation, a hospital employee, home health care worker,

emergency medical technician or other first responder, or member of the capitol police, member

of campus security force of state colleges and universities, member of the Rhode Island airport

police department, member of the Rhode Island fugitive task force, Rhode Island public transit

authority bus driver, or on-duty plainclothes member of the town, city, or state police force,

investigator of the department of the attorney general appointed pursuant to section 42-9-8.1, or

member of the railroad police after proper identification is displayed, or uniformed dog officer, or

out-of-state police officer called into Rhode Island under a cooperative agreement to provide

mutual aid at the request of the state of Rhode Island pursuant to chapter 37 of title 42, or

assistant attorney general or special assistant attorney general, or employees of the department of

environmental management responsible for administrative inspections or any constable

authorized by chapter 45-16 of the Rhode Island general law causing bodily injury while the

officer or official is engaged in the performance of his or her duty, shall be deemed to have

committed a felony, and shall be imprisoned not exceeding three (3) years, or fined not exceeding

fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500), or both.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - ASSAULTS - HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND

FIRST RESPONDERS

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     This act would add health care workers, including hospital employees, home health care

workers, EMTs and other first responders, to the class of persons an assault on whom constitutes

a felony.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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