Federal law targets hospital violence; $250M in grants for security

What it does

This bill creates a new federal crime for assaulting hospital workers during their duties (up to 10 years imprisonment, 20 years if a weapon is used or injury results), and establishes a $25 million annual grant program (2025–2034) for hospitals to fund violence-prevention measures like security technology, de-escalation training, and law enforcement coordination. The bill aims to address rising workplace violence in hospitals by giving federal prosecutors tools to prosecute assaults and providing federal funding to help hospitals protect their staff.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is twofold: (1) creation of a new federal crime targeting assault of hospital workers, and (2) a federal grant program for hospital security and training. Both are straightforward public-safety measures with no hidden deregulation, immunity, or narrow carve-outs.

What the text implies

• Federal criminal jurisdiction over hospital assaults may create overlap with state prosecution, potentially leading to dual prosecution or federal-state coordination challenges in practice.
• The affirmative defense for defendants with disabilities (subsection c) may create litigation over what constitutes a 'clear and direct manifestation' of disability, potentially complicating prosecutions.
• Grant awards are discretionary and subject to Attorney General preference for demonstrated need and geographic equity; hospitals in well-resourced areas may receive less funding despite high violence rates if they appear financially stable.
• The $25 million annual authorization is modest relative to the estimated 75,000+ annual workplace violence incidents in healthcare; actual appropriations may fall short of authorization.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Hospital workers gain federal criminal protection against a documented, serious workplace hazard that has worsened since 2011 and disrupts patient care. Patients benefit from improved hospital security and reduced staff turnover. The bill does not restrict citizens' rights, impose new costs on the public, or create liability shields for wrongdoers.

Who stands to gain

• hospitals (grant recipients for security technology and training)
• security technology vendors (metal detectors, surveillance systems, panic buttons, access control)
• training providers (de-escalation and mental health crisis response training)

Named in the bill

U.S. Department of Justice (Attorney General), Hospitals (all types covered under Social Security Act definitions), State and local law enforcement, HHS Secretary (public health emergency declarations)

Where it stands

67 cosponsors: 45 Democrats, 21 Republicans, 1 Independents.

• May 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

24 lobbying clients named this bill on 37 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $10,774,341 in lobbying spend. A filing names 12 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 97% of bills with at least one filing.

Madeleine Dean, the sponsor, reported $776,050 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Hospital Association — $4,470,000 on 1 filing
• Greater New York Hospital Association — $1,130,000 on 2 filings
• America's Essential Hospitals — $1,080,000 on 2 filings
• Trinity Health — $720,000 on 3 filings
• American College of Emergency Physicians — $468,727 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.