To amend section 2903.13 of the Revised Code to increase the penalty for assault to a felony of the fourth degree when the victim is a listed healthcare worker and to make assault against any school employee a felony of the fifth degree.

Section 1. That section 2903.13 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2903.13.  (A) No person shall knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical harm to another or to another's unborn.

(B) No person shall recklessly cause serious physical harm to another or to another's unborn.

(C) Whoever violates this section is guilty of assault. Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5), or (6) of this section, assault is a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if the offense is committed by a caretaker against a functionally impaired person under the caretaker's care, assault is a felony of the fourth degree. If the offense is committed by a caretaker against a functionally impaired person under the caretaker's care, if the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of this section or section 2903.11 or 2903.16 of the Revised Code, and if in relation to the previous conviction the offender was a caretaker and the victim was a functionally impaired person under the offender's care, assault is a felony of the third degree.

(2) If the offense is committed in any of the following circumstances, assault is a felony of the fifth degree:

(a) The offense occurs in or on the grounds of a state correctional institution or an institution of the department of youth services, the victim of the offense is an employee of the department of rehabilitation and correction, the department of youth services, or a probation department or is on the premises of the particular institution for business purposes or as a visitor, and the offense is committed by a person incarcerated in the state correctional institution, by a person institutionalized in the department of youth services institution pursuant to a commitment to the department of youth services, by a parolee, by an offender under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government agency.

(b) The offense occurs in or on the grounds of a local correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of the local correctional facility or a probation department or is on the premises of the facility for business purposes or as a visitor, and the offense is committed by a person who is under custody in the facility subsequent to the person's arrest for any crime or delinquent act, subsequent to the person's being charged with or convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person's being alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.

(c) The offense occurs off the grounds of a state correctional institution and off the grounds of an institution of the department of youth services, the victim of the offense is an employee of the department of rehabilitation and correction, the department of youth services, or a probation department, the offense occurs during the employee's official work hours and while the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the offense is committed by a person incarcerated in a state correctional institution or institutionalized in the department of youth services who temporarily is outside of the institution for any purpose, by a parolee, by an offender under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government agency.

(d) The offense occurs off the grounds of a local correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of the local correctional facility or a probation department, the offense occurs during the employee's official work hours and while the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the offense is committed by a person who is under custody in the facility subsequent to the person's arrest for any crime or delinquent act, subsequent to the person being charged with or convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person being alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child and who temporarily is outside of the facility for any purpose or by a parolee, by an offender under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government agency.

(e) The victim of the offense is a school teacher or administrator or a school bus operator employee, and the offense occurs in a school, on school premises, in a school building, on a school bus, or while the victim is outside of school premises or a school bus and is engaged in duties or official responsibilities associated with the victim's employment or position as a school teacher or administrator or a school bus operator employee, including, but not limited to, driving, accompanying, or chaperoning students at or on class or field trips, athletic events, or other school extracurricular activities or functions outside of school premises.

(3) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation, a firefighter, or a person performing emergency medical service, while in the performance of their official duties, assault is a felony of the fourth degree.

(4) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and if the victim suffered serious physical harm as a result of the commission of the offense, assault is a felony of the fourth degree, and the court, pursuant to division (F) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code, shall impose as a mandatory prison term one of the prison terms prescribed for a felony of the fourth degree that is at least twelve months in duration.

(5) If the victim of the offense is an officer or employee of a public children services agency or a private child placing agency and the offense relates to the officer's or employee's performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties, assault is either a felony of the fifth degree or, if the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense of violence, the victim of that prior offense was an officer or employee of a public children services agency or private child placing agency, and that prior offense related to the officer's or employee's performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties, a felony of the fourth degree.

(6) Assault is a felony of the fourth degree if the victim of the offense is one of the following persons who is engaged in the performance of the victim's official duties and the offender knows or has reason to believe that the victim is one of the following persons:

(a) A registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or advanced practice nurse licensed under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code;

(b) A pharmacist licensed under Chapter 4729. of the Revised Code;

(c) A physician assistant authorized to practice under Chapter 4730. of the Revised Code;

(d) A physician authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery or a podiatrist authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice podiatric medicine and surgery;

(e) A psychologist licensed under Chapter 4732. of the Revised Code;

(f) A chiropractor licensed under Chapter 4734. of the Revised Code;

(g) A speech-language pathologist, audiologist, speech-language pathology aide, or audiology aide licensed under Chapter 4753. of the Revised Code;

(h) An occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, or athletic trainer who is licensed under Chapter 4755. of the Revised Code or has received a permit under Chapter 4755. of the Revised Code;

(i) A professional clinical counselor, professional counselor, independent social worker, social worker, independent marriage and family therapist, or marriage and family therapist licensed under Chapter 4757. of the Revised Code or a social work assistant registered under Chapter 4757. of the Revised Code;

(j) An independent chemical dependency counselor, chemical dependency counselor III, or chemical dependency counselor II who is licensed under Chapter 4758. of the Revised Code or a counselor assistant, prevention specialist II, or prevention specialist I who has been issued a certificate pursuant to Chapter 4758. of the Revised Code;

(k) A dietician who is licensed under Chapter 4759. of the Revised Code;

(l) An anesthesiologist assistant who has been issued a certificate under Chapter 4760. of the Revised Code;

(m) A respiratory care professional licensed under Chapter 4761. of the Revised Code or a provider of respiratory care who has been issued a limited permit under Chapter 4761. of the Revised Code;

(n) An acupuncturist issued a certificate under Chapter 4762. of the Revised Code;

(o) A general X-ray machine operator, radiographer, radiation therapy technologist, or nuclear medicine technologist licensed under Chapter 4773. of the Revised Code;

(p) An orthotist, prosthetist, or pedorthist licensed under Chapter 4779. of the Revised Code.

(D) As used in this section:

(1) "Peace officer" has the same meaning as in section 2935.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Firefighter" has the same meaning as in section 3937.41 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Emergency medical service" has the same meaning as in section 4765.01 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Local correctional facility" means a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, a minimum security jail established under section 341.23 or 753.21 of the Revised Code, or another county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal facility used for the custody of persons arrested for any crime or delinquent act, persons charged with or convicted of any crime, or persons alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.

(5) "Employee of a local correctional facility" means a person who is an employee of the political subdivision or of one or more of the affiliated political subdivisions that operates the local correctional facility and who operates or assists in the operation of the facility.

(6) "School teacher or administrator employee" means either of the following:

(a) A a person who is employed in the public schools of the state under a contract described in section 3319.08 of the Revised Code in a position in which the person is required to have a certificate issued pursuant to sections 3319.22 to 3319.311 of the Revised Code.

(b) A person who is employed by a nonpublic school for which the state board of education prescribes minimum standards under section 3301.07 by a city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district, an educational service center, or a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code and who is certificated, a nonpublic school chartered by the state board of education in accordance with section 3301.071 3301.16 of the Revised Code, or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

(7) "Community control sanction" has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(8) "Escorted visit" means an escorted visit granted under section 2967.27 of the Revised Code.

(9) "Post-release control" and "transitional control" have the same meanings as in section 2967.01 of the Revised Code.

(10) "Investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation" has the same meaning as in section 2903.11 of the Revised Code.

(11) "School" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code and also includes an education program for handicapped children established by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code.

(12)  "School premises" has the same meaning as in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code and also includes both of the following:

(a)  The parcel of real property on which an education program for handicapped children established by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code is situated, whether or not any instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by the education program is being conducted on the premises at the time a criminal offense is committed;

(b) Any other parcel of real property that is owned or leased by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for use in an education program for handicapped children established by the board under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code and on which some of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training of the education program is conducted, whether or not any instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by the education program is being conducted on the parcel of real property at the time a criminal offense is committed.

(13)  "School building" has the same meaning as in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code and also includes any building in which any of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by an education program for handicapped children established by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code is conducted, whether or not any instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by the education program is being conducted in the school building at the time a criminal offense is committed.

Section 2. That existing section 2903.13 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.