By Noah R. Bombard, EagleTribune.com
The Joint Committee on Judiciary today will hear testimony on a bill that would make assaulting a nurse a crime punishable by up to two years in prison.
Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett will testify on Beacon Hill at noon today along with Worcester County DA Joseph Early Jr. and victims of workplace violence, including several nurses.
According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, registered nurses and other health care professionals are victims of violent assaults at a rate 12 times higher than other industries.
Supporters of the bill say while similar penalties protect police, firefighters and other professionals, nurses, who often face hostile patients or families are unprotected.
In 1989, the legislature passed a bill creating a mandatory 90-day jail sentence for anyone guilty of assaulting an EMT or ambulance driver. Nurses were left off the list.
The hearing will take place at noon today in the Gardner Auditorium at the State House. The bill, An Act Relative to Assault and Battery on Health Care Providers, is sponsored by State Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, and Sen. Michael Moore, D-Worcester.
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Coming into force on June 15, 2010, Bill 168 requires every employer in Ontario with more than five workers to develop a violence risk assessment and implementing a policy and program to prevent and manage workplace violence and harassment. This half day Gowling’s seminar will provide a detailed legal analysis of Bill 168 and outline a practical plan for compliance. 
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