Wisconsin bill
aims to bar Phelps from picketing funerals

Protesters wouldn't be able to gather outside a funeral under a bill a bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers proposed Wednesday. The bill is designed to stop members of a Kansas-based church who have protested outside the funerals and visitations of about 80 soldiers nationwide, including three in Wisconsin. The church, led by the Reverend Fred Phelps, believes God is killing American soldiers because the United States accepts homosexuality.

The bill would prohibit protests within 500 feet of a funeral, wake, interment, or memorial service for an hour before and after the ceremony. Republican senator Ron Brown, chairman of the senate veterans committee, and Democratic senator Russ Decker, two of the bill's supporters in the senate, said they think the measure balances mourners' right to privacy with the right to free speech. "It's unfortunate but necessary we take these steps," Decker said.

Protesters who violate the bill's conditions would face a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. A second violation would be a felony offense, punishable by up to 3 1/2 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. (AP)