Suozzi touts bipartisan federal proposal for buffer zones for houses of worship

Long Island U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi on Friday touted federal legislation to create so-called buffer zones that could restrict protesters outside houses of worship. 

Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) spoke in Glen Cove at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center along with the Anti-Defamation League and local officials in support of the bill, which under certain circumstances would carry five-figure fines and prison time for violations. The buffer zone is 100 feet around a house of worship and eight feet around a person going in or out.

Buffer zones, the subject of debate in multiple jurisdictions, including both Long Island counties, New York State and New York City, aim to limit protests near religious institutions. Such protests have intensified during the Israel-Hamas war, and some of the protests have become unruly and, to some Jewish worshippers, intimidating. The bill specifically bans conduct that causes worshippers "fear for their physical safety" or intentionally causes "substantial emotional distress."

Across the country, demonstrators have sometimes gathered outside synagogues during events inside to sell real estate in Israel and the occupied West Bank and to encourage Jews to move there.

On Long Island, there was at least one such protest — in 2024 at Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, which hosted a real estate expo. Protesters with opposing views, including pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian, gathered outside.

The buffer zones have drawn opposition from civil liberties groups, who argue they infringe on freedom of speech and are intended to quash pro-Palestinian dissent.

Suozzi said the bill, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), was drafted with the dean of Berkeley Law School to make sure it meets constitutional protections; similar bills have been met with opposition from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The Suozzi bill explicitly states that it is not to prohibit peaceful demonstrations outside places of worship. "This law was crafted in a way to try and pass constitutional muster, protecting free speech but also protecting the freedom of religion and the right to worship and to try and fight against some of this awful activity that we've seen," he said.

The bill, dubbed the SACRED ACT, or Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption, was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 9 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

A nonviolent violation of the law could carry a fine of up to $10,000 and up to six months in prison. Offenses resulting in injury could lead to as much as a $25,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed state legislation to ban protests within 25 feet of religious sites.

Meanwhile, on Friday, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an avowed supporter of the Palestinian cause, said he would allow to become law a bill by the City Council to create the zones around houses of worship, but he noted he disagreed "with the framing of all protests as a security concern."

"As mayor, I stand firmly on the side of New Yorkers' right to challenge power," Mamdani said. "The right to worship is as sacred as the right to protest."

But, in the first veto of his mayoralty, he rejected a City Council bill that would have established buffer zones around educational facilities. Mamdani said the school buffer zones, which broadly defined educational institutions, raised constitutional concerns.

The New York Civil Liberties Union had urged Mamdani to veto both bills and state legislators to reject Hochul's proposal.

"Every no-speech, buffer zone proposal under consideration in Albany will stifle free speech and violate New Yorkers’ rights to engage in peaceful political protest," according to a statement by Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU.

At his event Friday, Suozzi was also joined by his former opponent, Republican Nassau County Legis. Mazi Pilip. The county legislature unanimously passed a "Religious Safety Act" that went into effect in January.

The Nassau law creates a buffer zone within 35 feet within an hour of services. The law also bans protesters from coming within 10 feet of anyone going to or leaving a religious site. The NYCLU is suing over the law.

There is a similar bill pending before the Suffolk legislature that was tabled at a general meeting on Tuesday and will be debated next month, said James Teese, a legislative spokesman.