,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bgfh  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #ab1
 #bjbc,mr4 ,manchin 7for himself and    
,mr4 ,rubio7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a 
,,bill  ,to protect hospital personnel  
from violence1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,safety ,from ,violence for     
,healthcare ,employees ,act or the      
,,save ,act4  #b4 ,prevention of        
violence against hospital personnel  7a7
 ,prohibition on interference with      
hospital personnel in the performance of
 duties ,chapter #g of title #ah1       
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
adding at the end the following3  #abj4 
,interference with performance of duties
 of hospital personnel  7a7 ,in general 
,whoever knowingly assaults an          
individual employed by a hospital       
engaged in interstate commerce1 or an   
entity contracting with a hospital or   

other medical facility engaged in       
interstate commerce1 during the course  
of the performance of the duties of such
 individual1 and1 as a result1          
interferes with the performance of the  
duties of such individual or limits the 
ability of such individual to perform   
such duties1 shall be fined under this  
title1 imprisoned for not more than #aj 
years1 or both4  7b7 ,enhanced penalties
  7#a7 ,acts involving dangerous weapons
 or acts that result in bodily injury   
,whoever1 in the commission of any act  
described in subsection 7a71 uses a     
deadly or dangerous weapon or inflicts  
serious bodily injury1 shall be fined   
under this title1 imprisoned for not    
more than #bj years1 or both4  7#b7     
,acts committed during emergency        
declarations ,whoever commits any act   
described in subsection 7a7 during the  
period of a declaration of a public     
emergency for the area in which the act 
is committed shall be fined under this  
title1 imprisoned for not more than #bj 

years1 or both4  7c7 ,defense ,it shall 
be a defense to a prosecution under this
 section that-- 7#a7 the defendant is a 
person with a physical1 mental1 or      
intellectual disability2 and  7#b7 the  
conduct of the defendant was a clear and
 direct manifestation of such           
disability4  7d7 ,definitions ,in this  
section3 7#a7 ,hospital ,the term       
hospital means any of the following     
medical facilities3 7,a7 ,a hospital 7as
 defined in section #ahfa7;e7 of the    
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#aciex7e7774  7,b7 ,a long-term care    
hospital 7as defined in section         
#ahfa7;ccc7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 
#aciex7ccc7774  7,c7 ,a rehabilitation  
facility 7as described in section       
#ahhf7;j77#a77;,a7 of such ,act 7#db    
,u4,s4,c4 #acieww7j77#a77;,a7774  7,d7  
,a children's hospital 7as described in 
section #ahhf7;d77#a77;,b77iii7 of such 
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4                     
#acieww7d77#a77;,b77iii7774  7,e7 ,a    
cancer hospital 7as described in section

 #ahhf7;d77#a77;,b77v7 of such ,act 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #acieww7d77#a77;,b77v7774    
7,f7 ,a critical access hospital 7as    
defined in section #ahfa7mm77#a7 of such
 ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7mm77#a7774  
7,g7 ,a rural emergency hospital 7as    
defined in section #ahfa7kkk77#b7 of    
such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4                
#aciex7kkk77#b7774  7#b7 ,declaration of
 a public emergency ,the term           
declaration of a public emergency means 
an emergency or major disaster declared 
by the ,president pursuant to the       
,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief 
and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db    
,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et seq474  4  7b7       
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections for chapter #g of title #ah1   
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
adding at the end the following3  #abj4 
,interference with performance of duties
 of hospital personnel4  4  #c4 ,,gao   
study ,the ,comptroller ,general of the 
,united ,states shall conduct a study   
on-- 7#a7 how this ,act1 and the        

amendments made by this ,act1 has       
affected workplace violence in          
healthcare settings2 and  7#b7 whether  
,federal1 ,state1 and local prosecutions
 for workplace violence in healthcare   
settings have increased or decreased    
because of the ability to prosecute     
these incidents as ,federal crimes4