Hoeven sets signing for funeral protest bill

Less than two days after it was approved, Gov. John Hoeven intends to sign legislation restricting protests at funerals.

In a statement, the governor said members of military families, Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, the commander of North Dakota's National Guard, and other officials would be attending a Capitol signing ceremony at noon today.

The bill says protesters may not demonstrate within 300 feet of a church, cemetery or any other funeral site less than an hour before the service, or within an hour afterward. Violators could be charged with disorderly conduct.

North Dakota's Senate voted 44-0 on Tuesday night to give the bill final legislative approval. The House approved it Jan. 12.

After Hoeven signs the measure today, it will take effect when it is filed in Secretary of State Al Jaeger's office, a process that takes a few minutes. Jaeger is scheduled to attend the signing ceremony.

The bill was prompted by demonstrations at the funerals of two North Dakota National Guard soldiers in Bismarck and Fargo last June. The protesters were members of a Kansas religious sect that says soldiers' deaths are God's punishment for the country's tolerance of homosexuals.

Members of a motorcycle group, the Patriot Guard Riders, attended both funerals and lined up to block the protesters' view. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to the signing ceremony, a statement from Hoeven's office said.

The Kansas group's practice of demonstrating at soldiers' funerals prompted Congress and a number of states to approve similar legislation restricting protests at funerals. Some states have approved keeping funeral protesters 500 feet away.

Members of the group, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., have said the restrictions are unconstitutional and that they would challenge them in court.