Bill would increase the minimum distance required for funeral picketers

A bill that would increase the minimum distance required for picketing funerals advanced from general file Feb. 23.

LB284, introduced by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, would prohibit picketing of a funeral or memorial service within 500 feet of a cemetery, mortuary, church or other place of worship at the time of a funeral or memorial service. The current limit is 300 feet.

The bill is about public safety and keeping picketers at a safe distance, Krist said. Another 200 feet would allow law enforcement to stand between funeral picketers and those attending a funeral, he said.

“Striking the appropriate balance between the privacy rights of grieving family members and First Amendment rights is a delicate undertaking,” Krist said. “Increasing this distance will allow both sides to exercise their freedoms.”

Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln spoke in support of the bill.

The right to freedom of speech is not always convenient, Avery said, but it is the most important right that we have. The bill is a modest attempt to protect families attending a funeral without injuring free speech rights, he said.

The bill advanced on a 45-0 vote.