Senate Bill 897 aims to enhance protections for health care providers by redefining the terms "health care provider" and "health care facility" to include additional workers, such as emergency medical technicians, who may not be directly employed at a health care facility. The bill stipulates that it is a Class H felony to threaten a current or former health care provider, their family members, or individuals who work or have worked in a health care facility, particularly if the threat is made in response to actions taken by these providers in their official capacity.

The bill also includes specific amendments to existing statutes, renumbering and amending section 947.016 (3) and creating a new subsection (3)(am) that clarifies the definitions of "health care facility" and "health care provider" as per existing battery provisions. Notably, the language has been adjusted to reflect that threats can be made in response to actions occurring at any health care facility, rather than being limited to the facility where the provider is employed. This legislative change is intended to provide broader legal protection for health care professionals against threats and violence.