Bill Text: OH HB480 | 2009-2010 | 128th General Assembly | Introduced

Ohio House Bill 480 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: To increase the penalty for assault to a felony of the fourth degree when the victim is a hospital employee or health care worker who is engaged in the performance of the individual's duties at a hospital.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-04-07 - To Criminal Justice [HB480 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2009-HB480-Introduced.html

As Introduced

128th General Assembly

Regular Session

2009-2010

H. B. No. 480

Representatives Slesnick, Oelslager

A BILL

To amend section 2903.13 of the Revised Code to

increase the penalty for assault to a felony of

the fourth degree when the victim is a hospital

employee or health care worker who is engaged in

the performance of the individual's duties at a

hospital.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 2903.13 of the Revised Code be	7
amended to read as follows:	8

Sec. 2903.13. (A) No person shall knowingly cause or attempt	9
to cause physical harm to another or to another's unborn.	10

(B) No person shall recklessly cause serious physical harm to	11
another or to another's unborn.	12

(C) Whoever violates this section is guilty of assault, and	13
the court shall sentence the offender as provided in this division	14
and divisions (C)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), ~~and~~ (6), and (7) of this	15
section. Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(1), (2),	16
(3), (4), or (5), or (6) of this section, assault is a misdemeanor	17
of the first degree.	18

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if the	19
offense is committed by a caretaker against a functionally	20
impaired person under the caretaker's care, assault is a felony of	21
the fourth degree. If the offense is committed by a caretaker	22
against a functionally impaired person under the caretaker's care,	23
if the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty	24
to a violation of this section or section 2903.11 or 2903.16 of	25
the Revised Code, and if in relation to the previous conviction	26
the offender was a caretaker and the victim was a functionally	27
impaired person under the offender's care, assault is a felony of	28
the third degree.	29

(2) If the offense is committed in any of the following	30
circumstances, assault is a felony of the fifth degree:	31

(a) The offense occurs in or on the grounds of a state	32
correctional institution or an institution of the department of	33
youth services, the victim of the offense is an employee of the	34
department of rehabilitation and correction, the department of	35
youth services, or a probation department or is on the premises of	36
the particular institution for business purposes or as a visitor,	37
and the offense is committed by a person incarcerated in the state	38
correctional institution, by a person institutionalized in the	39
department of youth services institution pursuant to a commitment	40
to the department of youth services, by a parolee, by an offender	41
under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or	42
on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or	43
by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government	44
agency.	45

(b) The offense occurs in or on the grounds of a local	46
correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of	47
the local correctional facility or a probation department or is on	48
the premises of the facility for business purposes or as a	49
visitor, and the offense is committed by a person who is under	50
custody in the facility subsequent to the person's arrest for any	51
crime or delinquent act, subsequent to the person's being charged	52
with or convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person's	53
being alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.	54

(c) The offense occurs off the grounds of a state	55
correctional institution and off the grounds of an institution of	56
the department of youth services, the victim of the offense is an	57
employee of the department of rehabilitation and correction, the	58
department of youth services, or a probation department, the	59
offense occurs during the employee's official work hours and while	60
the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the	61
offense is committed by a person incarcerated in a state	62
correctional institution or institutionalized in the department of	63
youth services who temporarily is outside of the institution for	64
any purpose, by a parolee, by an offender under transitional	65
control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted	66
visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender	67
under any other type of supervision by a government agency.	68

(d) The offense occurs off the grounds of a local	69
correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of	70
the local correctional facility or a probation department, the	71
offense occurs during the employee's official work hours and while	72
the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the	73
offense is committed by a person who is under custody in the	74
facility subsequent to the person's arrest for any crime or	75
delinquent act, subsequent to the person being charged with or	76
convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person being alleged	77
to be or adjudicated a delinquent child and who temporarily is	78
outside of the facility for any purpose or by a parolee, by an	79
offender under transitional control, under a community control	80
sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release	81
control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by	82
a government agency.	83

(e) The victim of the offense is a school teacher or	84
administrator or a school bus operator, and the offense occurs in	85
a school, on school premises, in a school building, on a school	86
bus, or while the victim is outside of school premises or a school	87
bus and is engaged in duties or official responsibilities	88
associated with the victim's employment or position as a school	89
teacher or administrator or a school bus operator, including, but	90
not limited to, driving, accompanying, or chaperoning students at	91
or on class or field trips, athletic events, or other school	92
extracurricular activities or functions outside of school	93
premises.	94

(3) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an	95
investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and	96
investigation, a firefighter, or a person performing emergency	97
medical service, while in the performance of their official	98
duties, assault is a felony of the fourth degree.	99

(4) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an	100
investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and	101
investigation and if the victim suffered serious physical harm as	102
a result of the commission of the offense, assault is a felony of	103
the fourth degree, and the court, pursuant to division (F) of	104
section 2929.13 of the Revised Code, shall impose as a mandatory	105
prison term one of the prison terms prescribed for a felony of the	106
fourth degree that is at least twelve months in duration.	107

(5) If the victim of the offense is an officer or employee of	108
a public children services agency or a private child placing	109
agency and the offense relates to the officer's or employee's	110
performance or anticipated performance of official	111
responsibilities or duties, assault is either a felony of the	112
fifth degree or, if the offender previously has been convicted of	113
or pleaded guilty to an offense of violence, the victim of that	114
prior offense was an officer or employee of a public children	115
services agency or private child placing agency, and that prior	116
offense related to the officer's or employee's performance or	117
anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties, a	118
felony of the fourth degree.	119

(6) If the victim of the offense is a hospital employee or	120
health care worker who is engaged in the performance of the	121
individual's duties at a hospital, assault is a felony of the	122
fourth degree.	123

(7) If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to	124
assault when it is a misdemeanor also is convicted of or pleads	125
guilty to a specification as described in section 2941.1423 of the	126
Revised Code that was included in the indictment, count in the	127
indictment, or information charging the offense, the court shall	128
sentence the offender to a mandatory jail term as provided in	129
division (G) of section 2929.24 of the Revised Code.	130

If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to	131
assault when it is a felony also is convicted of or pleads guilty	132
to a specification as described in section 2941.1423 of the	133
Revised Code that was included in the indictment, count in the	134
indictment, or information charging the offense, except as	135
otherwise provided in division (C)(4) of this section, the court	136
shall sentence the offender to a mandatory prison term as provided	137
in division (D)(8) of section 2929.14 of the Revised Code.	138

(D) As used in this section:

139

(1) "Peace officer" has the same meaning as in section	140
2935.01 of the Revised Code.	141

(2) "Firefighter" has the same meaning as in section 3937.41	142
of the Revised Code.	143

(3) "Emergency medical service" has the same meaning as in	144
section 4765.01 of the Revised Code.	145

(4) "Local correctional facility" means a county,	146
multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal	147
jail or workhouse, a minimum security jail established under	148
section 341.23 or 753.21 of the Revised Code, or another county,	149
multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal	150
facility used for the custody of persons arrested for any crime or	151
delinquent act, persons charged with or convicted of any crime, or	152
persons alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.	153

(5) "Employee of a local correctional facility" means a	154
person who is an employee of the political subdivision or of one	155
or more of the affiliated political subdivisions that operates the	156
local correctional facility and who operates or assists in the	157
operation of the facility.	158

(6) "School teacher or administrator" means either of the	159
following:	160

(a) A person who is employed in the public schools of the	161
state under a contract described in section 3319.08 of the Revised	162
Code in a position in which the person is required to have a	163
certificate issued pursuant to sections 3319.22 to 3319.311 of the	164
Revised Code.	165

(b) A person who is employed by a nonpublic school for which	166
the state board of education prescribes minimum standards under	167
section 3301.07 of the Revised Code and who is certificated in	168
accordance with section 3301.071 of the Revised Code.	169

(7) "Community control sanction" has the same meaning as in	170
section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.	171

(8) "Escorted visit" means an escorted visit granted under	172
section 2967.27 of the Revised Code.	173

(9) "Post-release control" and "transitional control" have	174
the same meanings as in section 2967.01 of the Revised Code.	175

(10) "Investigator of the bureau of criminal identification	176
and investigation" has the same meaning as in section 2903.11 of	177
the Revised Code.	178

(11) "Hospital employee" means any of the following:

179

(a) Any of the following individuals who perform services in	180
the ordinary course of the individual's profession in a hospital:	181

(i) A physician authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised	182
Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and	183
surgery;	184

(ii) A registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed	185
under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code;	186

(iii) A physician assistant authorized to practice under	187
Chapter 4730. of the Revised Code;	188

(iv) A member of the clerical staff.

189

(b) A security officer performing security services in a	190
hospital;	191

(c) An individual who is present in a hospital and who was	192
summoned to the hospital to perform services by an individual	193
identified in division (D)(11)(a) or (b) of this section.	194

(12) "Health care worker" means an individual, other than an	195
individual identified in division (D)(11) of this section, who	196
provides medical or other health-related care or treatment in a	197
hospital, including a medical technician, medical assistant,	198
orderly, aide, or individual acting in a similar capacity.	199