Calif. Bill Would Make It Illegal To Bar Life-Saving Help
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Lawmakers are sending a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown that would bar employers from having policies that prohibit offering life-saving medical help in an emergency.
Assemblyman Rudy Salas introduced AB644 after the death of an 87-year-old woman at a Bakersfield retirement home in February. The case sparked outrage when a nurse was heard on a 911 call saying her company policy prevented her from performing CPR on the collapsed woman.
The Senate unanimously approved the Bakersfield Democrat's bill on Tuesday.
Democratic Assemblywoman Norma Torres of Pomona says the legislation would prevent employees from being placed in the difficult position of having to "choose between saving a fellow citizen's life and being fired for breaking a company's policy."
The nursing home owner later said the staffer misinterpreted its policy.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
