This legislative bill seeks to amend the Nebraska Revised Statutes to provide enhanced protections for pharmacists and health care professionals by explicitly prohibiting assaults against them. It introduces new definitions and provisions that include pharmacists in the list of individuals protected under assault laws, while redefining assault offenses in the first, second, and third degrees to encompass public safety officers, health care professionals, and pharmacists. The bill eliminates previous references to emergency responders and certain state employees, establishing penalties categorized as Class ID, Class II, and Class IIIA felonies based on the severity of the assault. Additionally, it mandates that hospitals and health clinics display warnings about the legal consequences of assaulting these professionals, emphasizing that such actions may lead to felony charges.

Moreover, the bill requires pharmacies to display a prominent warning sign regarding the serious legal consequences of assaulting pharmacists during their official duties, detailing that such actions may be punishable as a felony. It amends existing laws related to unlawful membership recruitment and the definition of assault, replacing the term "officer, an emergency responder, a state correctional employee, a Department of Health and Human Services employee, or a health care professional" with "public safety officer, health care professional, or pharmacist." The bill also repeals outdated provisions related to assault classifications and specific offenses, aiming to clarify and strengthen the legal framework surrounding assaults on designated professionals while streamlining existing laws.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 28-101, 28-115, 28-929.01, 28-929, 28-930, 28-931, 28-934, 28-929.02, 28-1351, 28-1354, 29-2221, 84-941.01