A bill that would bar protests at funerals is ready for a floor vote in the Florida House. House Bill 15 would require a buffer of 500 feet where no protests are allowed during a funeral or for one hour before and after.
It would apply to any funeral – not just those of military members, although protests at military funerals are the main target of the legislation. Representative Pat Rooney, a West Palm Beach Republican, is the sponsor.
"Mainly, what we've been targeting are the groups of people that have been going around that have been purposely disrupting funerals to bring attention to themselves."
The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas has made a practice of protesting homosexuality at funerals.