Bill to create 100-feet buffer zones around places of worship introduced in U.S. Congress

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to create a 100-feet buffer zone around places of worship, including temples and gurdwaras, and treat any harassment or intimidation within such areas a federal crime.

Congressman Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, and Congressman Max Miller, a Republican from Ohio, have introduced the Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption (SACRED) Act.

The bill seeks to make it a federal crime to intentionally intimidate, obstruct, or harass people exercising their right to religious worship within 100 feet of a place of worship, whether by threatening them, blocking their path, or approaching them within eight feet for the purpose of harassment or intimidation.