SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives has approved a bill that increases penalties for attacks on health care workers.
The House voted 56-16 in favor of Rep. Robert Spendlove's House Bill 32. The bill expands penalties to cover employees in hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities.
When FOX 13 News reported on the bill in December, a nurses union said it had seen a sharp increase in reports of attacks on health care workers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Spendlove, R-Sandy, acknowledged it on the House floor.
"The stress of the pandemic on health care workers is real," he said, calling for support for the bill.
HB32 now goes to the Utah State Senate for consideration.
