Missouri's "Pipeline Protest Bill" could make some protests illegal, raising 1st Amendment concerns
A bill currently making its way through the Missouri Senate could inhibit forms of protest against the state’s “critical infrastructure,” which includes pipelines and a long list of other industrial facilities and projects.
The surface language of SB 293 suggests it merely seeks to heighten the consequences for trespassing on these infrastructure properties. But in fact it could criminalize protests on those sites.
Under the legislation, anyone who steps foot on one of these properties with the intent to “impede or inhibit operations of the facility” would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in up to a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.
Any “damage of a critical infrastructure” would result in a Class C felony, which could mean up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Read more: https://www.thepitchkc.com/news/article/21063453/missouri-pipeline-protest-bill-could-make-some-protests-illegal-raising-first-amendment-concerns