AN ACT to provide that it is a felony to assault hospital personnel and licensed healthcare providers who are PROVIDING OR ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN A HOSPITAL.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 14‑34.6 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14‑34.6.  Assault or affray on a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, medical responder, and hospital personnel.
(a)	A person is guilty of a Class I felony if the person commits an assault or affray causing physical injury on any of the following persons who are discharging or attempting to discharge their official duties:
(1)	An emergency medical technician or other emergency health care provider.
(2)	A medical responder.
(3)	Hospital personnel and licensed healthcare providers who are providing or attempting to provide health care services to a patient in a hospital.
(4)	Repealed by Session Laws 2011‑356, s. 2, effective December 1, 2011, and applicable to offenses committed on or after that date.
(5)	A firefighter.
(b)	Unless a person's conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment, a person is guilty of a Class H felony if the person violates subsection (a) of this section and (i) inflicts serious bodily injury or (ii) uses a deadly weapon other than a firearm.
(c)	Unless a person's conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment, a person is guilty of a Class F felony if the person violates subsection (a) of this section and uses a firearm."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2015, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 10th day of June, 2015.

	s/	 Daniel J. Forest
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Tim Moore
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Pat McCrory
	 Governor

Approved 10:05 a.m. this 19th day of June, 2015