What's happening
This bill adds registered security guards in hospitals or health care facilities to the list of protected workers under assault laws.
Why it matters
Expanding legal protections to hospital security guards. means assaults against them could be prosecuted as felony offenses, similar to assaults on police, nurses, EMTs, and other protected workers. This may act as a deterrent and result in harsher penalties for offenders.
Recognizes the elevated risks faced by hospital security guards. , acknowledging that they are often on the front lines dealing with volatile or violent situations in healthcare settings, and thus deserving of special legal protection.
May improve hospital safety and staff morale. by signaling that the state values the security team’s role and is taking steps to protect them, potentially making it easier to recruit and retain qualified guards.
Could influence security protocols and training. , as inclusion under protected worker statutes may prompt hospitals to review and enhance safety measures, reporting procedures, and support systems for security staff.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect Hospital Security Guards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 4
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to codes
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to codes
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.1988
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to codes
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
643
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sen. BOYLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to protecting registered security guards in a hospital or health care facility from assault
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 3 and 11 of section 120.05 of the penal law, subdivision 3 as amended by chapter 267 of the laws of 2016 and subdivision 11 as separately amended by chapters 268 and 281 of the laws of 2016, are amended to read as follows:
3. With intent to prevent a peace officer, a police officer, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city sanitation worker, a firefighter, including a firefighter acting as a paramedic or emergency medical technician administering first aid in the course of performance of duty as such firefighter, an emergency medical service paramedic or emergency medical service technician, or medical or related personnel in a hospital emergency department, a registered security guard in a hospital or health care facility, a city marshal, a school crossing guard appointed pursuant to section two hundred eight-a of the general municipal law, a traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent or employee of any entity governed by the public service law in the course of performing an essential service, from performing a lawful duty, by means including releasing or failing to control an animal under circumstances evincing the actor's intent that the animal obstruct the lawful activity of such peace officer, police officer, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05519-01-7
S. 643 2
sanitation worker, firefighter, paramedic, technician, city marshal, school crossing guard appointed pursuant to section two hundred eight-a of the general municipal law, traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent or employee of an entity governed by the public service law, he or she causes physical injury to such peace officer, police officer, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city sanitation worker, firefighter, paramedic, technician or medical or related personnel in a hospital emergency department, a registered security guard in a hospital or health care facility, city marshal, school crossing guard, traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent or employee of an entity governed by the public service law; or
11. With intent to cause physical injury to a train operator, ticket inspector, conductor, signalperson, bus operator, station agent, station cleaner or terminal cleaner employed by any transit agency, authority or company, public or private, whose operation is authorized by New York state or any of its political subdivisions, a city marshal, a school crossing guard appointed pursuant to section two hundred eight-a of the general municipal law, a traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city sanitation worker, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, emergency medical service paramedic, or emergency medical service technician, or a registered security guard in a hospital or health care facility, he or she causes physical injury to such train operator, ticket inspector, conductor, signalperson, bus operator, station agent, station cleaner or terminal cleaner, city marshal, school crossing guard appointed pursuant to section two hundred eight-a of the general municipal law, traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city sanitation worker, emergency medical service paramedic, [or] emergency medical service technician, or a registered security guard in a hospital or health care facility, while such employee is performing an assigned duty on, or directly related to, the operation of a train or bus, including the cleaning of a train or bus station or terminal, or such city marshal, school crossing guard, traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent, prosecutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York city sanitation worker, emergency medical service paramedic, [or] emergency medical service technician, or a registered security guard in a hospital or health care facility, is performing an assigned duty; or
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to protecting registered security guards in a hospital or health care facility from assault
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill would amend the penal law to raise the penalty for assault on any NYS registered security officer working in a hospital or health care facility to a Class D Felony
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Raises the assault on any NYS security officer working in a hospital or health care facility from an assault in the third degree to assault in the second degree.
Section 2. Effective Date
Justification
Security officers in hospitals work to provide a safe environment for patients, families of patients, and workers alike. Although current law includes enhanced penalties for assault against several professionals in the healthcare field, the current law fails to adequately protect registered security officers in this field who face dangerous situations.
Under this legislation, NYS registered security officers working in a hospital or health care facility would be included in the definition of individuals with increased penalties for assault. This legislation will protect workers from assault while performing their duty. Security officers in hospitals are individuals with a high risk of on-the-job assault. This legislation will provide equity to workers in hospitals who are not medical professionals.
Prior legislative history
2016: Died in Codes
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as chapter 472 of the laws of 2015, takes effect.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.