HR 347: Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011
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Numerous inquiries, questions, and concerns have been brought to the attention of Americans politicians and citizens alike concerning HR 347: the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011” bill. Many of the claims made regarding piece of legislation are untrue in nature still disturbing. This law updates a measure that has been public knowledge since it was signed by the president at the time; Richard Nixon made it a crime to trespass upon grounds previously secured by the Secret Service in 1971. So far there have been no new penalties attached, but there was much speculation as to whether or not the bill was signed in secret. Although many public officials have stated that “the bill was not signed secretly”, just as many claim differently. The White House did, however, announce the signing of this bill publicly.
The law was sponsored by Representative Thomas Rooney (R- Florida). There have been rumors that the bill has indeed been tossed around Congress for years. Rooney first introduced the idea of in 2009 and spoke on the House floor about passing the bill in 2010. The current Congress passed the bill by an overwhelming margin — by “unanimous consent” in the Senate and only three votes of dissent in the House of Representatives. It merely amended Title 18, Chapter 84, and Section 1752 of the U.S. Code, just as then-President George W. Bush did in 2006 when he signed the Patriot Act.
The new law specifies that it is unlawful to enter secured areas of the White House and its grounds, or the Vice President’s official residence and grounds. Previously, according to the report, the law prohibited unlawful entry to any building or ground secured by the Secret Service where the President or Vice President is “temporarily” visiting. That, for lack of a better word, cornered the Secret Service to relying on a District of Columbia law that only mentions “minor misdemeanor infractions”, even if somebody were to breach the White House residence itself. The new law revises the standard that prosecutors must meet to gain a conviction, from proving that a violation was committed “willfully and knowingly” to merely proving that it was committed “knowingly.” The bill reached the House floor on February 28, 2011, but no one spoke out against it during the seven minutes of debate. The House then passed it by a vote of 399 to 3.
This brings to mind certain fundamental questions:
- Is it illegal to protest anywhere the Secret Service is?
- Are people being arrested for the wrong reasons? What are the implications of this bill on the right to assembly?
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