Congress pushing to limit protests at veterans’ funerals
Congress pushing to limit protests at veterans’ funerals
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, April 8, 2006
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers supporting a bill to limit protests at some veterans cemeteries said Thursday they’ll speed up the legislative process in hopes of getting the measure signed into law by Memorial Day.
Bill sponsor Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said the proposal has been met with wide support among his colleagues in the House and Senate, which makes the prospect of fast tracking the proposal more likely.
The bill, prompted by a series of protests at military funerals by members of the Westboro Baptist Church, would prohibit demonstrations an hour before or after a funeral at any national cemetery, and force picket lines to stay at least 500 feet from the grieving family. Violators could face up to one year in jail and a $100,000 fine for each offense.
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer, R-Ind., said one member of his committee has expressed concerns about the bill’s implications on freedom of speech issues, but he does not expect that to pose a major challenge to passing the bill quickly.
He said he has already had preliminary discussion with House leaders on sending the bill directly to the full chamber for a vote, potentially trimming months off the normal legislative process.
“We’ve already received support from the [Democrats] as well, so I’d expect this to work,” he said.
Five states — South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana and Kentucky — have passed funeral protest laws, and several others are considering similar proposals. Rogers said he hopes the federal bill can serve as a template for future state laws.
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