Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Chair, again I rise in strong support of Mr. Brown's amendment, which I think makes a good bill even better and does focus on one of the causes, which, again, it is no big secret in terms of what is driving this upward trajectory.

Domestic violence, in particular, is one of those types of cases that are coming through the emergency room doors--agitated patients, sometimes family members there--and that is where, again, we know nurses, nursing assistants, and docs are being subjected to unprecedented levels of assault.

That is why the Emergency Room Nurses Association just issued an endorsement of H.R. 1309. Again, this is a trade association. This is a union-affiliated organization. They represent emergency room nurses all across America in union and nonunion settings.

We have already heard earlier today that the emergency room docs have come out for this.

Again, what Mr. Brown's measure does is focus on one of the causes that is causing the unprecedented and unacceptable levels of assault that are taking place in healthcare settings.

I just want to close by saying my wife, Audrey, whom I have been married to for 30 years, is a pediatric nurse practitioner who works in a specialty clinic at Connecticut Children's Hospital that deals with victims of child sexual abuse and physical abuse, and that is precisely the type of patient that Mr. Brown's amendment is focused on.

Again, if you want to talk about high tension, high-risk environment in terms of those types of cases that come through, which, again, is causing unprecedented incidents out there, this amendment helps those employees to make sure that they are going to be able to deal with these cases and continue to go on and be productive in the healthcare system.

So, again, I want to thank Mr. Brown for offering this amendment.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Chair, again, I want to congratulate Mr. Delgado for his amendment.

And I want to point out the fact that when we voted on the rule yesterday, there was a self-effectuating provision that eliminated 500,000 healthcare workplaces from the scope of this bill. Again, it was at the suggestion of CBO because, frankly, it was never our intention to include doctors' offices, podiatrists' offices, dentists' offices. That is not what this bill is about. It is about larger healthcare facilities, which we know are the hotspots where this type of unfortunate activity goes on.

OSHA, just so you know, has a free consultation program for employers, 90 percent funded by OSHA in all 50 states, that will provide free assistance as new rules and regulations are rolled out.

And I want to again say, Mr. Delgado's amendment, which just foot stomps the fact that we want to prioritize the flow of information is, in my opinion, a very benign request and very much sensitive to employers in facilities all across the country.

Again, we took care of the small guys in the rule yesterday, and this amendment, again, just makes sure that anyone else will have all the help that they need to understand the new rules.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I reserve a point of order.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I insist on my point of order.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, on behalf of America's nurses, doctors, and social workers who are begging for relief from unprecedented levels of workplace violence, I insist upon my point of order. The motion violates clause 7 of rule XVI, the germaneness rule.

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