Senate committee lays over bill insulating healthcare workers from criminal charges for honest mistakes

Senate File 971, a proposal to limit criminal prosecution of health care providers for inadvertent medical errors, drew extended testimony and was laid over for further work by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on March 19.

Proponents told the committee the bill is aimed at preventing prosecutorial overreach after high‑profile out‑of‑state cases in which clinicians were convicted after medication errors. Senator Mann, the bill's author, said the measure would not block investigations, licensing board action, civil malpractice suits or prosecution for intentional or grossly negligent conduct. "This bill very simply states that a health care provider will not be criminally…