Bill Text: NJ S382 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Makes it a disorderly persons offense to disrupt a funeral by picketing or conducting other protest activities within 300 feet.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee [S382 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S382-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator JOSEPH M. KYRILLOS, JR.
District 13 (Middlesex and Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Makes it a disorderly persons offense to disrupt a funeral by picketing or conducting other protest activities within 300 feet.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning the disruption of funerals and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. Families have a substantial interest in attending funeral services for their loved ones;
b. The interests of families in privately and peacefully mourning the loss of their relatives are violated when funerals are targeted for disruption, picketing and other demonstrations;
c. Such disruption causes emotional disturbance and distress to grieving families; and
d. It is in the interest of the State of New Jersey to protect families' privacy immediately prior to, during and after a funeral service.
2. a. A person is guilty of disrupting a funeral if, during the period beginning one hour prior to the scheduled commencement of a funeral, and until one hour following the actual completion of the funeral, he knowingly:
(1) obstructs, hinders, impedes or blocks another person's entry to or exit from the funeral, the funeral procession, the funeral home, church, synagogue, temple or other place of public worship, or
(2) engages in picketing or other protest activities within 300 feet of the funeral, the funeral procession, the funeral home, church, synagogue, temple or other place of public worship.
b. As used in this act, "funeral" means the ceremonies, processions and memorial services held in connection with the burial or cremation of the dead.
c. Disrupting a funeral is a disorderly persons offense.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would make it a disorderly persons offense to disrupt a funeral. The bill was prompted by recent events in several Midwestern states involving loud and disruptive group protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.
Under the bill, a person would be guilty of the offense of disrupting a funeral if, during the period beginning one hour prior to the scheduled commencement of a funeral, and until one hour following the actual completion of the funeral, the person knowingly:
(1) obstructs, hinders, impedes or blocks another person's entry to or exit from the funeral, or
(2) engages in picketing or other protest activities within 300 feet of the funeral, the funeral procession, the funeral home, church, synagogue, temple or other place of public worship.
It is the view of the sponsors that families have a substantial interest in attending funeral services for their loved ones, and that this interest is violated when funerals are targeted for disruption, picketing and other demonstrations.
This bill is modeled on legislation enacted recently in Kansas and Oklahoma.
