National Guard Protective Zone Act
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The National Guard Protective Zone Act adds a new Section 1390 to Chapter 67 of Title 18 (U.S. Criminal Code). It makes it a federal crime to knowingly enter or remain within a "posted protective zone" -- defined as a 15-foot perimeter around a National Guard member marked by verbal warning, signage, barricade tape, or other reasonable means -- with the intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the member's official duties. The offense applies only during deployments authorized under Chapter 15 of Title 10 (insurrection and domestic violence provisions) or under Title 32 (state-controlled National Guard duty).
Who Benefits
- National Guard members gain a federally protected buffer zone during deployments, reducing the risk of physical confrontation with civilians
- Federal law enforcement gains a new prosecutorial tool to deter interference with National Guard operations
- Government agencies deploying the National Guard benefit from clearer legal authority to maintain operational security
Who Bears the Burden
- Protesters and demonstrators near National Guard deployments face a new federal criminal offense for entering the 15-foot zone, even if their conduct is otherwise nonviolent, with up to 1 year imprisonment
- Individuals who make physical contact, throw objects, or spit on a Guard member face up to 5 years imprisonment under the aggravated penalty provision
- First Amendment advocates face a narrowing of the space in which protest activity can occur near Guard deployments, though the bill includes a rule of construction preserving First Amendment activity conducted outside the zone
Key Provisions
- Creates "posted protective zone": a 15-foot perimeter around a National Guard member marked by verbal warning, signage, or barricade tape
- Base offense: knowingly entering/remaining in the zone with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere -- fine and/or up to 1 year imprisonment
- Aggravated offense: physical contact, throwing objects, or spitting -- up to 5 years imprisonment
- Applies only during deployments under Chapter 15, Title 10 or Title 32
- Rule of construction preserving First Amendment activity outside the zone
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates a new federal criminal offense for knowingly entering or remaining within a 15-foot protective zone around a National Guard member during authorized deployments, with enhanced penalties for physical contact, throwing objects, or spitting.
Key Policy Areas
Criminal Justice, Defense
Primary Purpose
Creates a new federal criminal offense for knowingly entering or remaining within a 15-foot protective zone around a National Guard member during authorized deployments, with enhanced penalties for physical contact, throwing objects, or spitting.
Policy Domains
Whole Bill -- National Guard Protective Zone Criminal Offense
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- National Guard members deployed domestically
- Federal law enforcement (new prosecutorial tool)
- Government agencies deploying the National Guard
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Protesters and demonstrators near National Guard deployments
- Individuals who physically contact or assault Guard members (aggravated penalty)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Tom Cotton
R-AR | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Mr. Cotton (for himself and Mr. Budd) introduced the following …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An area around a member of the National Guard with a perimeter not more than 15 feet from the member, marked by a verbal warning, visible signage, barricade tape, or other reasonable means.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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