I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3178 
To protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 5, 2025 
Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania (for herself and Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Save Healthcare Work-
ers Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HOSPITAL 
PERSONNEL. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
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(1) The incidence of assault and intimidation 
against hospital employees poses a serious national 
problem. 
(2) The problem of assault and intimidation 
against hospital and health care employees preceded 
the COVID–19 pandemic. According to an April 
2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the health 
care and social service industries experienced the 
highest rates of injuries caused by workplace vio-
lence and were 5 times as likely to suffer a work-
place violence injury than workers overall in 2018. 
That report also found that the incidence rate for 
workplace violence against health care workers had 
steadily increased since 2011. The COVID–19 pan-
demic exacerbated this growing problem. 
(3) Workplace violence in hospitals inhibits hos-
pital employees from performing their duties and 
thereby disrupts the delivery of health care services 
and leads to adverse patient outcomes. Violence to-
wards hospital workers also has been associated with 
decreased productivity and quality of care, employee 
absenteeism, and increased employee turnover. 
(4) State and local authorities are now and will 
continue to be responsible for prosecuting the over-
whelming majority of violent crimes in the United 
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States, including assault and intimidation against 
hospital employees. These authorities can address 
the problem of assault and intimidation against hos-
pital employees more effectively with greater Federal 
law enforcement involvement. 
(5) Existing Federal law is inadequate to ad-
dress this problem. 
(6) Assault and intimidation against hospital 
employees substantially affects interstate commerce 
in many ways, including the following: 
(A) Health care services are a significant 
part of the national economy. In 2023, expendi-
tures on health care services accounted for 17.6 
percent of the country’s gross domestic product. 
Within health care, hospitals and health sys-
tems are economic pillars that create jobs and 
support economic growth across State lines. 
(B) The health care market, and hospitals 
in particular, are heavily regulated by the Fed-
eral Government. 
(C) Hospital revenue comes from interstate 
or Federal sources, such as out-of-State insur-
ers or Medicare. 
(D) Hospital employees who are victims of 
assault or intimidation are prevented from pur-
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chasing goods and services, obtaining or sus-
taining employment, or participating in other 
commercial activity. 
(E) Facilities and instrumentalities of 
interstate commerce have been used in the com-
mission of assault and intimidation against hos-
pital employees. 
(F) Assault and intimidation against hos-
pital employees has been committed using arti-
cles that have traveled in interstate commerce. 
(7) In Summit Health, Ltd. v. Pinhas, 500 
U.S. 322, 329–30 (1991), the Supreme Court of the 
United States held that it is ‘‘clear’’ that hospitals 
are ‘‘regularly’’ engaged in interstate commerce, per-
forming services for out-of-State patients and gener-
ating revenues from out-of-State sources. 
(8) 
In 
Taylor 
v. 
United 
States, 
579 
U.S.lll(2016), the Supreme Court of the United 
States ruled that activities that affect commerce 
may be regulated so long as they substantially affect 
interstate commerce in the aggregate, even if their 
individual impact on interstate commerce is minimal. 
In addition, as the United States Court of Appeals 
for the Fourth Circuit recognized in United States 
v. Hill, 927 F.3d 188 (4th Cir. 2019), Taylor and 
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other Supreme Court decisions establish that when 
Congress may regulate an economic or commercial 
activity—as it may with respect to hospitals—it also 
may regulate violent conduct that interferes with or 
affects that activity. Accordingly, if individuals are 
engaged in ongoing economic or commercial activity 
subject to congressional regulation—as hospital em-
ployees are—then Congress also may prohibit violent 
crime that interferes with or affects such individuals’ 
ongoing economic or commercial activity. 
(9) Federal jurisdiction over certain violent 
crimes against hospital employees enables Federal, 
State, and local authorities to work together as part-
ners in the investigation and prosecution of such 
crimes. 
(10) The problem of assault and intimidation 
against hospital employees is serious, widespread, 
and interstate in nature as to warrant Federal as-
sistance to hospitals to combat that activity. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON ASSAULT OF HOSPITAL PER-
SONNEL IN THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘§ 120. Assault of hospital personnel 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever knowingly assaults an 
individual employed by a hospital, or an entity contracting 
with a hospital or other medical facility, during the course 
of the performance of the duties of such individual, and, 
as a result, interferes with the performance of the duties 
of such individual or limits the ability of such individual 
to perform such duties, shall be fined under this title, im-
prisoned not more than 10 years, or both. 
‘‘(b) ENHANCED PENALTIES.— 
‘‘(1) ACTS
INVOLVING
DANGEROUS
WEAPONS 
OR ACTS THAT RESULT IN BODILY INJURY.—Who-
ever, in the commission of any act described in sub-
section (a), uses a deadly or dangerous weapon or 
inflicts bodily injury, shall be fined under this title 
or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. 
‘‘(2) ACTS
COMMITTED
DURING
EMERGENCY 
DECLARATIONS.—Whoever commits any act de-
scribed in subsection (a) during the period of a dec-
laration of a public emergency for the area in which 
the act is committed shall be fined under this title 
or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. 
‘‘(c) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.—It shall be an affirm-
ative defense to a prosecution under this section that— 
‘‘(1) the defendant is a person with a physical, 
mental, or intellectual disability; and 
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‘‘(2) the conduct of the defendant was a clear 
and direct manifestation of such disability. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) HOSPITAL.—The term ‘hospital’ means 
any of the following medical facilities: 
‘‘(A) A hospital (as defined in section 
1861(e) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(e))). 
‘‘(B) A long-term care hospital (as defined 
in section 1861(ccc) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(ccc))). 
‘‘(C) A rehabilitation facility (as defined in 
section 1886(j)(1)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww(j)(1)(A))). 
‘‘(D) A cancer hospital (as described in 
section 1886(d)(1)(B)(iii) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B)(iii))). 
‘‘(E) A children’s hospital (as described in 
section 1886(d)(1)(B)(v) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B)(v))). 
‘‘(F) A critical access hospital (as defined 
in section 1861(mm)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(mm)(1))). 
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‘‘(G) A rural emergency hospital (as de-
fined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(2))). 
‘‘(2) DECLARATION
OF
A
PUBLIC
EMER-
GENCY.—The term ‘declaration of a public emer-
gency’ means any of the following: 
‘‘(A) A public health emergency declared 
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
Act. 
‘‘(B) An emergency or disaster declared by 
the President pursuant to the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for chapter 7 of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘120. Assault of hospital personnel.’’. 
(c) GRANTS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOS-
PITAL WORKFORCE AGAINST VIOLENCE.—Title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by inserting after part 
OO the following: 
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‘‘PART PP—GRANT PROGRAM FOR HOSPITAL 
WORKFORCE SAFETY AND SECURITY 
‘‘SEC. 3061. GRANT AUTHORIZATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may make 
grants under this part to hospitals for the purpose of car-
rying out programs to reduce the incidence of violence at 
hospitals, including violence or intimidation against hos-
pital personnel in the performance of their duties. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded under this 
part shall be used to reduce the incidence of violence at 
hospitals through programs that may include one or more 
of the following: 
‘‘(1) Training hospital personnel to prevent vio-
lence or intimidation against others or themselves, 
including de-escalation training and specialized 
training in responding to mental health crises. 
‘‘(2) Coordination with State and local law en-
forcement. 
‘‘(3) Placement and use of hospital access con-
trol technologies, video surveillance, metal detection, 
panic buttons, status alert systems, restricted access 
capabilities, and safe patient and staff rooms, and 
other violence-prevention tools or measures. 
‘‘(4) Any other measures that the Attorney 
General determines may provide a significant im-
provement in— 
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‘‘(A) training for violence prevention at 
hospitals; and 
‘‘(B) protection against violence and in-
timidation of hospital personnel. 
‘‘(c) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION IN AWARDING 
GRANTS.—In awarding grants under this part, the Attor-
ney General shall give preferential consideration, if fea-
sible, to an application from a hospital that— 
‘‘(1) has a demonstrated need for improved se-
curity; 
‘‘(2) has a demonstrated need for financial as-
sistance; and 
‘‘(3) has evidenced the ability to make the im-
provements for which the grant amounts are sought. 
‘‘(d) 
EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION
OF
GRANT 
FUNDS.—In awarding grants under this part, the Attor-
ney General shall ensure, to the extent practicable, an eq-
uitable geographic distribution among the regions of the 
United States and among urban, suburban, and rural 
areas. 
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 2 per-
cent of a grant made under this part may be used for 
costs incurred to administer such grant. 
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‘‘SEC. 3065. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There 
are 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2034 
to carry out this part. Funds appropriated for a fiscal year 
pursuant to the preceding sentence shall remain available 
until expended.’’. 
Æ 
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