Church protesters could face tougher penalties under rare bipartisan crackdown
There's a rare show of bipartisan unity in the House of Representatives this week, as lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle come together to crack down on destructive protests targeting houses of worship.
Reps. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., are introducing a bill to make it a crime to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending a religious service.
That includes demonstrations taking place within 100 feet "from any pedestrian or vehicular entryway of any house of worship, during the period beginning 1 hour before the start of and ending 1 hour after the conclusion of a scheduled religious service," according to legislative text obtained by Fox News Digital.
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A violation of those guidelines would carry a $2,500 civil fine on the first offense, a $5,000 penalty on the second offense, and $10,000 for a third.
The bill does carve out limitations, however, such as demonstrations that are taking place with a federal, state, or local government-issued permit.
The text's language also specifically classifies disruptions based on things like volume, duration, and impact, rather than the content of speech — meaning the First Amendment is still protected.
"Today, many Americans are unable to worship without fear of harassment, assault, or other forms of intimidation. The right to worship freely is foundational to our nation and was one of the motivations for its founding. No American should ever feel that their choice is between worshiping in fear and not worshiping at all," Knott said.
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Suozzi said he supports people's right to peacefully protest but "attendees of religious services should not be harassed, threatened, intimidated, or targeted for practicing their faith."
At least four states adopted laws banning the disruption of religious services earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.
It followed an incident in which Minnesota demonstrators upended service at a church where a federal immigration official was reportedly a pastor.