WASHINGTON – Legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe to protect military funerals from disruptive protests won approval Wednesday from a Senate committee.

The unanimous vote by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee means the Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act could soon be approved by the full Senate.

The proposal by Snowe, R-Maine, which was in a broader veterans’ affairs measure and approved by a voice vote, is co-sponsored by 34 senators from both parties, supported by veterans groups and inspired by a student from Maine.

At a hearing this month before the veterans’ affairs committee, Snowe said the SERVE Act is needed in response to “detestable” protests at military funerals by a fringe church based in Kansas and a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Westboro Baptist Church’s right to stage such protests.

“Our nation has a vested interest in respecting those who serve in our armed forces and this bill achieves that while respecting the intent of the First Amendment to our Constitution,” Snowe said in a statement after the committee vote. “I look forward to the full Senate’s consideration of this vital legislation to protect the solemn moments of military funerals from outside disruption.”

A similar bill, also with bipartisan backing, has been introduced in the House.

Snowe’s legislation would alter federal law to increase the time before and after military funerals in which protests are prohibited from one hour to two. It also would increase the distance that protesters must stay from services.

While current law sets boundaries of 150 feet around a funeral and 300 feet around access routes to it, Snowe would expand the buffers to 300 feet and 500 feet, respectively.

Snowe’s bill would impose civil penalties and allow family members and the U.S. attorney general to sue violators for monetary damages of as much as $50,000.

The Searsport High School senior who inspired Snowe to introduce the SERVE Act in April was at the hearing to hear Snowe’s testimony.

“I didn’t expect it to go this far,” said Zach Parker, who said he was initially trying to raise awareness about the issue.

Before the Supreme Court decision in March, Parker launched a campaign to outlaw protests at military funerals. Snowe’s staff was at a community meeting organized by Parker in early January.

When Snowe heard about Parker’s campaign, she promised to look at his proposal in light of the pending Supreme Court decision. She decided to go ahead with the legislation once the ruling was released in early March.

The Supreme Court ruled that First Amendment free speech rights protect the anti-gay protests at military funerals by the Westboro Baptist Church. The church members say that soldiers are killed as an act of God in retribution for tolerance of gays and lesbians.

The group has protested in Maine at least once, in 2007 in Portland at the funeral for a soldier who died in Iraq. Maine’s law says it is a crime to taunt, insult or otherwise accost any person attending a funeral.

In 2006, Congress passed the Respect for American’s Fallen Heroes Act, which established the current restrictions. The Supreme Court ruling did not appear to negate such restrictions.

MaineToday Media Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Riskind can be contacted at 791-6280 or at:

jriskind@mainetoday.com

 

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