Bill Text: IA SSB1009 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A study bill for an act enhancing the criminal penalty for an assault on an operator of a motor vehicle providing transit services as part of a public transit system, and providing penalties.

Spectrum: Unknown

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-01-28 - 3:00PM; Senate Lobbyist Lounge Judiciary. [SSB1009 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-SSB1009-Introduced.html
Senate Study Bill 1009 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SODDERS) A BILL FOR An Act enhancing the criminal penalty for an assault on an 1 operator of a motor vehicle providing transit services as 2 part of a public transit system, and providing penalties. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh
S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 708.3A, Code 2015, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 708.3A Assaults on persons engaged in certain members of 3 protected occupations. 4 1. A person who commits an assault, as defined in section 5 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, 6 member or employee of the board of parole, health care 7 provider, employee of the department of human services, 8 employee of the department of revenue, or fire fighter, whether 9 paid or volunteer member of a protected occupation , with the 10 knowledge that the person against whom the assault is committed 11 is a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or 12 employee of the board of parole, health care provider, employee 13 of the department of human services, employee of the department 14 of revenue, or fire fighter and member of a protected 15 occupation, is guilty of the following: 16 a. If the person commits the assault with the intent to 17 inflict a serious injury upon the peace officer, jailer, 18 correctional staff, member or employee of the board of parole, 19 health care provider, employee of the department of human 20 services, employee of the department of revenue, or fire 21 fighter, is guilty of member of a protected occupation, a class 22 “D” felony. 23 2. b. A If the person who commits an the assault , as 24 defined in section 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, 25 correctional staff, member or employee of the board of parole, 26 health care provider, employee of the department of human 27 services, employee of the department of revenue, or fire 28 fighter, whether paid or volunteer, who knows that the person 29 against whom the assault is committed is a peace officer, 30 jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of the board 31 of parole, health care provider, employee of the department 32 of human services, employee of the department of revenue, or 33 fire fighter and who uses or displays a dangerous weapon in 34 connection with the assault, is guilty of a class “D” felony. 35 -1- LSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh 1/ 5
S.F. _____ 3. c. A If the person who commits an the assault , as 1 defined in section 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, 2 correctional staff, member or employee of the board of parole, 3 health care provider, employee of the department of human 4 services, employee of the department of revenue, or fire 5 fighter, whether paid or volunteer, who knows that the person 6 against whom the assault is committed is a peace officer, 7 jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of the board of 8 parole, health care provider, employee of the department of 9 human services, employee of the department of revenue, or fire 10 fighter, and who causes bodily injury or mental illness, is 11 guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. 12 4. d. Any If the person commits any other assault, as 13 defined in section 708.1 , committed against a peace officer, 14 jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of the board 15 of parole, health care provider, employee of the department 16 of human services, employee of the department of revenue, or 17 fire fighter, whether paid or volunteer, by a person who knows 18 that the person against whom the assault is committed is a 19 peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or employee 20 of the board of parole, health care provider, employee of the 21 department of human services, employee of the department of 22 revenue, or fire fighter, is a serious misdemeanor. 23 5. 2. As used in this section , the following definitions 24 apply: 25 a. “Correctional staff” means a person who is not a peace 26 officer but who is employed by the department of corrections 27 or a judicial district department of correctional services 28 to work at or in a correctional institution, community-based 29 correctional facility, or an institution under the management 30 of the Iowa department of corrections which is used for the 31 purposes of confinement of persons who have committed public 32 offenses. 33 b. “Employee of the department of human services” means a 34 person who is an employee of an institution controlled by the 35 -2- LSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh 2/ 5
S.F. _____ director of human services that is listed in section 218.1 , 1 or who is an employee of the civil commitment unit for sex 2 offenders operated by the department of human services. A 3 person who commits an assault under this section against an 4 employee of the department of human services at a department of 5 human services institution or unit is presumed to know that the 6 person against whom the assault is committed is an employee of 7 the department of human services. 8 c. “Employee of the department of revenue” means a person 9 who is employed as an auditor, agent, tax collector, or any 10 contractor or representative acting in the same capacity. The 11 employee, contractor, or representative shall maintain current 12 identification indicating that the person is an employee, 13 contractor, or representative of the department. 14 d. “Health care provider” means an emergency medical care 15 provider as defined in chapter 147A or a person licensed 16 or registered under chapter 148 , 148C , 148D , or 152 who is 17 providing or who is attempting to provide emergency medical 18 services, as defined in section 147A.1 , or who is providing 19 or who is attempting to provide health services as defined 20 in section 135.61 in a hospital. A person who commits an 21 assault under this section against a health care provider in 22 a hospital, or at the scene or during out-of-hospital patient 23 transportation in an ambulance, is presumed to know that the 24 person against whom the assault is committed is a health care 25 provider. 26 e. “Jailer” means a person who is employed by a county or 27 other political subdivision of the state to work at a county 28 jail or other facility used for purposes of the confinement of 29 persons who have committed public offenses, but who is not a 30 peace officer. 31 f. “Member of a protected occupation” means any of the 32 following: 33 (1) A peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or 34 employee of the board of parole, health care provider, employee 35 -3- LSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh 3/ 5
S.F. _____ of the department of human services, employee of the department 1 of revenue, or fire fighter, whether paid or volunteer. 2 (2) The operator of a motor vehicle providing transit 3 services as part of a public transit system, as defined 4 in section 324A.1, while the operator is engaged in the 5 performance of the operator’s official duties and is clearly 6 identifiable as the operator of a motor vehicle providing 7 transit services as part of a public transit system. 8 EXPLANATION 9 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 10 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 11 Current law provides for enhanced criminal penalties for 12 assaults against persons engaged in certain occupations. These 13 occupations include peace officers, jailers, correctional 14 staff, members or employees of the board of parole, health 15 care providers, employees of the department of human services, 16 employees of the department of revenue, and fire fighters, 17 whether paid or volunteer. 18 The bill defines a person engaged in one of these occupations 19 as a member of a protected occupation. The bill further 20 provides that an operator of a motor vehicle providing transit 21 services as part of a public transit system is a member of a 22 protected occupation, but only while the operator is engaged 23 in the performance of the operator’s official duties and 24 is clearly identifiable as the operator of a motor vehicle 25 providing transit services as part of a public transit system. 26 The bill establishes the same enhanced penalties for an assault 27 against an operator of a motor vehicle providing transit 28 services as part of a public transit system that current law 29 establishes for an assault against a member of one of the 30 existing protected occupations. 31 The bill provides that if a person assaults an operator 32 of a motor vehicle providing transit services as part of a 33 public transit system with the intent to inflict serious injury 34 or while using or displaying a dangerous weapon, that person 35 -4- LSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh 4/ 5
S.F. _____ commits a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony is punishable 1 by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of 2 at least $750 but not more than $7,500 as provided in Code 3 section 902.9. The assault would otherwise be punishable as an 4 aggravated misdemeanor as provided in Code section 708.2. 5 The bill also provides that if a person assaults an operator 6 of a motor vehicle providing transit services as part of a 7 public transit system and causes bodily injury or mental 8 illness, that person commits an aggravated misdemeanor. An 9 aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more 10 than two years and a fine of at least $625 but not more than 11 $6,250 as provided in Code section 903.1. The assault would 12 otherwise be punishable as a serious misdemeanor as provided 13 in Code section 708.2. 14 The bill further provides that if the person commits any 15 other type of assault against an operator of a motor vehicle 16 providing transit services as part of a public transit 17 system, that person commits a serious misdemeanor. A serious 18 misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one 19 year and a fine of at least $315 but not more than $1,875 as 20 provided in Code section 903.1. The assault would otherwise be 21 punishable as a simple misdemeanor as provided in Code section 22 708.2. 23 -5- LSB 1419XC (2) 86 ns/nh 5/ 5
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