HB 1975 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in assault, further providing for the offense of assault of law enforcement officer.

PRINTER'S NO.     2494

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 1975
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY HADDOCK, PROBST, SCHLOSSBERG, HARKINS, SHAFFER,
        GIRAL, PIELLI, BOROWSKI, KUZMA, GAYDOS, HILL-EVANS,
        D. WILLIAMS, GILLEN, GREEN, RIVERA, INGLIS, PASHINSKI AND
        MADDEN, OCTOBER 21, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, OCTOBER 21, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in assault, further providing for the
 3      offense of assault of law enforcement officer.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.      Section 2702.1 of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
 7   Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
 8   § 2702.1.      Assault of [law enforcement officer] emergency
 9                  responder.
10      (a)   Assault of [a law enforcement officer] emergency
11   responder.--
12            (1)    A person commits a felony of the first degree who
13      attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly causes bodily
14      injury to [a law enforcement officer] an emergency responder,
15      while in the performance of duty and with knowledge that the
16      victim is [a law enforcement officer] an emergency responder,
17      by discharging a firearm.
 1            (2)   Except as provided under sections 2703 (relating to
 2      assault by prisoner), 2703.1 (relating to aggravated
 3      harassment by prisoner) and 2704 (relating to assault by life
 4      prisoner), a person is guilty of a felony of the third degree
 5      if the person intentionally or knowingly causes or attempts
 6      to cause [a law enforcement officer] an emergency responder,
 7      while in the performance of duty and with knowledge that the
 8      victim is [a law enforcement officer] an emergency responder,
 9      to come into contact with blood, seminal fluid, saliva, urine
10      or feces by throwing, tossing, spitting or expelling the
11      fluid or material.
12            (3)   A person who commits an offense under paragraph (2)
13      shall be guilty of a felony of the second degree if:
14                  (i)    the person knew, had reason to know, should have
15            known or believed the fluid or material to have been
16            obtained from an individual, including the person charged
17            under this section, infected by a communicable disease
18            declared reportable by regulation authorized by the act
19            of April 23, 1956 (1955 P.L.1510, No.500), known as the
20            Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955; and
21                  (ii)   the communicable disease referenced in
22            subparagraph (i) is communicable to the [law enforcement
23            officer] emergency responder by the method used or
24            attempted to be used to cause the [law enforcement
25            officer] emergency responder to come into contact with
26            the blood, seminal fluid, saliva, urine or feces.
27      (b)   Penalties.--Notwithstanding section 1103(1) (relating to
28   sentence of imprisonment for felony), a person convicted under
29   subsection (a)(1) shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment
30   fixed by the court at not more than 40 years.

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 1      (c)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 2   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 3   subsection:
 4      ["Law enforcement officer."     The term shall have the same
 5   meaning as the term "peace officer" is given under section 501
 6   (relating to definitions).]
 7      "Emergency responder."     As defined under 35 Pa.C.S. § 75A01
 8   (relating to definitions).
 9      "Firearm."   As defined under 42 Pa.C.S. § 9712(e) (relating
10   to sentences for offenses committed with firearms).
11      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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