An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, establishing the Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence Grant Program and the Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence Grant Fund; providing for duties of Department of Health; and making a transfer.

PRINTER'S NO. 842
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 812
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KHAN, VENKAT, GERGELY, BOROWSKI, KOSIEROWSKI,
CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, HANBIDGE, DOUGHERTY, PROBST, SANCHEZ, GIRAL,
DONAHUE, HADDOCK, PIELLI, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS,
SCHLOSSBERG, WAXMAN, CIRESI, FREEMAN, FLEMING, O'MARA,
CERRATO, GREEN, KENYATTA, BOYD AND DALEY, MARCH 5, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, MARCH 5, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, establishing the Protecting Hospital
Workers from Workplace Violence Grant Program and the
Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence Grant
Fund; providing for duties of Department of Health; and
making a transfer.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
CHAPTER 56A
PROTECTING HOSPITAL WORKERS FROM
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE GRANT PROGRAM
Sec.
56A01. Definitions.
56A02. Establishment of program.
56A03. Application and review process.
56A04. Allocation of grant awards.
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56A05. Reports.
56A06. Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence
Grant Fund.
56A07. Expiration.
§ 56A01. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Application." An application for a grant under the program.
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Eligible applicant." A hospital or freestanding emergency
medical care facility that submits an application to the
department for a grant under the program.
"Eligible project." A security enhancement designed to
protect the safety and security of health care workers in a
hospital or freestanding emergency medical care facility in this
Commonwealth.
"Freestanding emergency medical care facility." A facility,
structurally separate and distinct from a hospital, that
receives an individual and provides emergency care.
"Fund." The Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace
Violence Grant Fund established under section 56A06 (relating to
Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence Grant Fund).
"Health care worker." An employee, independent contractor,
licensee or other individual authorized to provide services in a
hospital or a freestanding emergency medical care facility.
"Hospital." An institution having an organized medical staff
that is primarily engaged in providing to inpatients, by or
under the supervision of physicians, diagnostic and therapeutic
services or rehabilitation services for the care or
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rehabilitation of injured, disabled, pregnant, diseased, sick or
mentally ill persons. The term includes a facility for the
diagnosis and treatment of disorders within the scope of
specific medical specialties. The term does not include a
facility caring exclusively for the mentally ill.
"Program." The Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace
Violence Grant Program established under section 56A02 (relating
to establishment of program).
§ 56A02. Establishment of program.
The Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence Grant
Program is established within the department to award grants to
fund innovative approaches aimed at reducing verbal and physical
violence against health care workers in hospitals or
freestanding emergency medical care facilities. The department
shall administer the program.
§ 56A03. Application and review process.
(a) Application process.--The department shall establish an
application process for the award of grants under the program no
later than 90 days after the effective date of this subsection.
An eligible applicant shall include all of the following
information in an application:
(1) A detailed explanation of the eligible applicant's
eligible project, including all of the following information:
(i) A timeline for development and implementation of
the eligible project.
(ii) A description of the population identified to
participate in the eligible project.
(iii) A detailed budget for the eligible project.
(iv) Other information regarding the administration
and support for the eligible project.
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(2) Documentation on how the eligible project will
achieve the goals of reducing verbal and physical violence
against health care workers.
(3) Performance metrics for measuring short-term and
long-term outcomes of the eligible project, including a
measure of the change in the severity and frequency of verbal
and physical violence against health care workers.
(b) Priority for selection.--The department shall prioritize
the award of grants under the program to applications that
demonstrate an innovative approach to reducing verbal and
physical violence against health care workers, including any of
the following:
(1) Evidence supporting the conceptual foundation of the
eligible project.
(2) Evidence of an institutional commitment to reduce
workplace violence against health care workers.
(3) Evidence of institutional support for the eligible
project, including staff time, access to institutional
resources or financial resources.
(4) A d escription of a plan for the long-term
sustainability of the eligible project.
(c) Initial application period.--No later than March 1,
2025, the department shall begin accepting applications from
eligible applicants for available grants under the program
during the fiscal year. The department shall provide notice of
the application period on the department's publicly accessible
Internet website.
(d) Additional application period.--If money is available in
the fund, no later than October 1, 2025, and each October 1
thereafter, the department shall accept applications from
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eligible applicants for available grants under the program
during the applicable fiscal year. The department shall provide
notice of a new application period on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
(e) Review process.--The department shall review
applications and award grants under the program on a rolling
basis. No later than 90 days after a completed application is
received from an eligible applicant, the department shall review
and approve or deny the application. An eligible applicant may
revise and resubmit a denied application to the department.
§ 56A04. Allocation of grant awards.
T he following shall apply to grant awards under the program:
(1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), as follows:
(i) The minimum grant amount awarded to a grant
recipient in a fiscal year shall be no less than $10,000.
(ii) The maximum grant amount awarded to a grant
recipient in a fiscal year may not exceed $200,000.
(2) The department may not require non-State financial
participation from a grant recipient for a requested grant
amount that is $25,000 or less.
(3) The department may award a grant between $25,001 and
$75,000 if the grant recipient provides non-State financial
participation equal to 33% of the requested grant amount.
(4) The department may award a grant between $75,001 and
$200,000 if the grant recipient provides non-State financial
participation equal to 50% of the requested grant amount.
§ 56A05. Reports.
No less than annually, the department shall post a report
describing the grants awarded under the program, including the
amount of the grants, the purpose of the grants and the outcome
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reported by each grant recipient. No less than annually, each
grant recipient shall provide a report to the department with
all of the following information:
(1) Activities funded through the grant awards.
(2) The change in the severity and frequency of verbal
and physical violence against health care workers.
(3) The performance of the eligible projects based on
stated performance metrics.
(4) Budget expenditures.
§ 56A06. Protecting Hospital Workers from Workplace Violence
Grant Fund.
(a) Establishment.--The Protecting Hospital Workers from
Workplace Violence Grant Fund is established as a fund in the
State Treasury.
(b) Appropriation.--All money deposited in the fund and the
interest the money accrues is appropriated to the department on
a continuing basis to award grants under the program.
(c) Transfers.--In addition to any money deposited into the
fund for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, from money appropriated to
the department for general government operations, $5,000,000 is
transferred to the fund.
§ 56A07. Expiration.
The authority of the department to award grants under the
program shall expire July 1, 2035.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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