Vote Smart's Synopsis:

A vote to pass an bill with an amendment that classifies police employed at hospitals as peace officers.

Highlights:

• Defines “Hospital police officer” as a police officer who is employed by a hospital that employs and maintains its own proprietary police department or security department, and who is appointed and commissioned by the secretary of state (Sec. 1-7).

• Prohibits any person from knowingly doing either of the following (Sec. 1-A):

• Cause serious physical harm to another or to another's unborn; and

• Cause or attempt to cause physical harm to another or to another's unborn by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance.

• Prohibits any person, with knowledge that the person has tested positive as a carrier of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, from knowingly doing any of the following (Sec. 1-B):

• Engage in sexual conduct with another person without disclosing that knowledge to the other person prior to engaging in the sexual conduct;

• Engage in sexual conduct with a person whom the offender knows or has reasonable cause to believe lacks the mental capacity to appreciate the significance of the knowledge that the offender has tested positive as a carrier of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; and

• Engage in sexual conduct with a person under 18 years of age who is not the spouse of the offender.

• Specifies if the victim of the offense is a peace officer, a hospital police officer, a special police officer, or an investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation, a firefighter, or a person performing emergency medical service, while in the performance of their official duties, assault is a felony of the fourth degree (Sec. 1-5).

• Specifies if the victim of the offense is a healthcare professional, a health care worker, or a security officer of a hospital whom the offender knows or has reasonable cause to know is a healthcare professional, a health care worker, or a security officer of a hospital, if the victim is engaged in the performance of the victim's duties, and if the hospital offers de-escalation or crisis intervention training for such professionals, workers, or officers, assault is either misdemeanor of the first degree or if the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more assault or homicide offenses committed against hospital personnel, assault committed in the specified circumstances is a felony of the fifth degree (Sec. 1-8).

Full Bill Text