New York lawmakers on Tuesday approved a sweeping statewide measure establishing a 50-foot buffer zone for protests outside synagogues, other houses of worship and educational institutions, creating criminal penalties for violations and overriding a more limited approach taken by New York City.

The measure, included in the state budget, was negotiated between Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-led majorities in the State Legislature. It establishes a 50-foot security perimeter around houses of worship and educational centers in response to or in anticipation of a planned protest, and authorizes police to extend that perimeter when officials anticipate large demonstrations or clashes.

Violations of the buffer zone would be classified as a Class B misdemeanor when a protester “knowingly or intentionally engages in a course of conduct that places that individual in reasonable fear for their safety,” according to the bill text.

“New Yorkers will be safer because of it,” Hochul said in a statement after the State Assembly approved the measure. The governor is running for reelection this year and has made appeals to Jewish voters a central piece of her campaign.

The new statewide standard goes well beyond Hochul’s original January proposal, which called for a 25-foot buffer zone, and beyond the New York City ordinance that took effect earlier this year. The state law also defines a place of religious worship broadly, covering not only sanctuaries but also community centers and schools used for services, education or religious observance.

The push for buffer zones followed a wave of demonstrations outside Jewish institutions since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza that followed. Many of the protests targeted synagogues hosting real estate events for Nefesh B’Nefesh, a nonprofit that assists North American Jews moving to Israel, and other sales tied to property in Israel and the West Bank. Demonstrations outside Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side and Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills in Queens drew particular condemnation after protesters chanted slogans including “Death to the IDF” and “globalize the intifada.”

“We’ve seen demonstrations targeting faith communities outside synagogues, mosques and churches,” Hochul told reporters last month. “This is not free expression, this is harassment, and it has no place in the state of New York.”

The statewide approach contrasts sharply with the law allowed to take effect in New York City. In March, the City Council passed a watered-down version of legislation introduced by Speaker Julie Menin that reduced an originally proposed 100-foot buffer to 25 feet and directed the NYPD to develop plans for protecting houses of worship. Mayor Zohran Mamdani allowed that measure to become law without his signature in April, while vetoing a companion bill that would have extended similar protections to schools.

Members of the council’s Democratic Socialists of America caucus, including Tiffany Cabán, Alexa Avilés, Shahana Hanif and Chi Ossé, along with Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, were the sole votes against the city’s houses-of-worship measure.

The UJA Federation of New York thanked Hochul and the bill’s sponsors for what it called strong leadership in safeguarding the right to worship free of harassment and intimidation. Other Jewish organizations had been pushing for statewide action for months, arguing that demonstrations outside synagogues amounted to targeted harassment rather than protected political speech. An Anti-Defamation League poll released earlier this year found broad support among New Yorkers for buffer zone legislation.

Civil-liberties groups, including the New York Civil Liberties Union, have argued that the restrictions could violate First Amendment protections, and legal challenges are expected.

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