Representatives Tom Suozzi, a New York Democrat, and Brad Knott, a North Carolina Republican, appeared with leaders from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh organisations on Capitol Hill on September 16 to press for action on the legislation. The bill has companion sponsorship in the Senate from Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Introduced on August 6, the legislation would make it unlawful to knowingly disrupt a scheduled religious service or to hinder, deter, threaten or intimidate a person in a way that prevents participation. The restrictions would apply within 100 feet of an entrance to a house of worship during a defined period linked to a service.
The measure would rely primarily on civil enforcement. Its restrictions would run from one hour before a scheduled service until one hour after it ends and apply to conduct substantially affecting interstate commerce. A first violation would carry a $2,500 civil fine, rising to $5,000 for a second offence and $10,000 for each third or subsequent offence. Aggrieved individuals could seek injunctions and damages, while the US attorney general and state attorneys general could also bring civil actions. The bill says disruption must be judged by factors such as volume, duration, frequency and impact rather than the content of speech, and it preserves permitted activities and speech complying with its time, place and manner limits.
The definition of religious service also covers collective worship, prayer, classes and other events where people gather to worship, study or exercise religion.
Suozzi said worshippers should not have to show courage simply to enter a synagogue, church, mosque, temple, mandir or gurdwara. Knott has argued that the proposal targets conduct that obstructs worship rather than ordinary protest activity outside religious institutions.
The coalition supporting the bill has expanded beyond the dozen organisations listed when the legislation was introduced. Suozzi’s office said more than 30 national groups now endorse it, including the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Federations of North America, Hindu American Foundation, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Coalition of Hindus of North America, UNITED SIKHS, Islamic Society of North America, National Association of Evangelicals and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Representatives of several of those organisations joined the September 16 event. Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, said harassment of devotees and disruption of services at Hindu mandirs had affected the sense of safety among families and worshippers. She said the proposed civil penalties were intended to help keep places of worship free from intentional harassment and disruption.
Gurvinder Singh Gill of UNITED SIKHS said protection of religious freedom and protection of expression were not mutually exclusive, arguing that the right to worship and the right to speak freely had to be preserved together. Mukesh Swaroop of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha pointed to vandalism at four BAPS mandirs and said families should not have to hesitate before entering a house of worship.
The House version, H. R. 10052, was introduced by Knott with Suozzi and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Representatives Mike Lawler of New York and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey are listed as co-sponsors. The Senate version, S. 5289, was introduced by Cruz with Slotkin and was also referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Supporters describe the proposal as a response to disruptive demonstrations and harassment outside religious institutions. The bill is narrower than a general ban on protest: its text focuses on conduct that meaningfully interferes with a scheduled service or unreasonably blocks, deters, threatens or intimidates people seeking to enter.
