Governor Laura Kelly visited Wesley Medical Center to sign Senate Bill 174. This bipartisan bill increases the criminal penalties for people convicted of battery of a health care provider.

Governor Kelly says the number of stories they've heard over the last few years of healthcare workers being harassed and abused while doing their jobs is appalling and unacceptable. She says this bill is a win for the state, showing that both sides of the aisle can come together to save lives and protect healthcare workers.

Battery against a health care provider is now a Class A misdemeanor. SB 174 also decriminalizes fentanyl test strips, which is a step toward reducing overdose deaths resulting from the presence of fentanyl in drugs.