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Debate intensifies over expanding felony assault protections to pharmacists and hospital staff; motion to indefinitely postpone LB3 22 fails
Summary
Senators debated LB3 22, a bill to extend enhanced assault penalties to pharmacists and hospital employees. Supporters cited workplace violence and workforce retention; opponents warned of mass incarceration effects, impacts on people with disabilities and mental illness, and limited deterrent value. A motion to indefinitely postpone failed 7-34.
The Nebraska Legislature spent extended floor time debating Legislative Bill 3 22, a measure introduced by Senator Klaus that would expand enhanced assault protections to include pharmacists and certain hospital employees. The motion by Senator DeBoer to indefinitely postpone consideration failed 7-34, allowing debate and the bill’s continued movement through general-file procedure.
Senator Klaus said LB3 22 was prompted by requests from the Nebraska Pharmacists Association and the Nebraska Hospital Association to clarify and extend protections created by earlier law (LB677, passed in 2012) that increased penalties for assaulting certain healthcare professionals. "Pharmacists are the most accessible and frequently in many…
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