LINCOLN- A bill to increase the penalty for assaulting a pharmacist or any employee in a hospital or health clinic in Nebraska advanced from its first round of voting in the Legislature on Wednesday after an eight-hour filibuster that stretched over two days.

Senators disagreed over the preventative effects of LB322. Supporters said it would help to keep health care workers safe and feel more secure. Opponents said it is already a crime to assault anyone, and the bill set a harsh penalty that would put more people in prison. Despite the lengthy debate, the bill passed its first of three rounds of voting by a comfortable margin.

An existing law makes assaulting health care professionals like doctors and nurses a felony, but it excludes pharmacists. State Sen. Stanley Clouse of Kearney said the Nebraska Pharmacists Association brought the bill to him to bring their profession in line with others in the health field. The Legislature's Judiciary Committee amended the bill to include all employees in a hospital or clinic, regardless of whether they're a health care worker.

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