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(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today signed LB 287 into law during a midmorning news conference. The new law restricts picketing and protests immediately before and after funerals and memorial services in Nebraska.
Joining the Governor was bill sponsor Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha, who drafted LB 287 after a veteran, one of his constituents, talked about the pain caused by political protests during the funerals of servicemen and servicewomen who died in the line of duty.
"As a veteran myself, I feel a very personal attachment to the lives and families of soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors," said Gov. Heineman, who served five years in the U.S. Army. "This to-the-point, three-page bill, authored by Senator Friend, takes a common-sense approach toward respecting family grief and the freedoms of speech and assembly."
Sen. Friend said, "I believe we have an obligation to protect family privacy and to prevent emotional distress at funerals. This legislation strikes an appropriate balance between the privacy rights of grieving family members and the First Amendment rights of the individuals who seek to protest."
LB 287 specifies that protest activities within 300 feet of a cemetery, funeral home, church or other place of worship is prohibited from one hour prior to the start of a funeral or memorial service until two hours after it has begun.
The law classifies the picketing of funerals and memorial services as a Class III misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and up to a $500 fine. The bill contained an emergency clause and therefore is effective immediately.
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