A bill that would curtail neighborhood protests cleared its first hurdle in the state Senate this morning.

The bill – Senate Bill 192 – would prevent protesters staging a demonstration in a residential neighborhood from camping out in front of a person’s house. Instead, it would force the protesters to keep moving, and it would prohibit them from carrying signs bigger than 6 square feet.

“They have to keep moving; they can’t stop in front of a residence and have a picnic,” said Sen. Steve Ward, a Littleton Republican who is co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate with Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora. “It is designed to prevent some of the more egregious forms of picketing that can take place.”

The issue has come up recently as anti-abortion groups have protested outside the homes of construction executives whose companies are involved in building a new Planned Parenthood in Denver. But Ward said the bill is not meant to single out abortion protesters.

A few members in Ward’s own party raised objections.

“To me,” said Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, “this is a real infringement on freedom of speech.”

Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said the bill is unnecessary because police already have the ability to deal with neighborhood protesters who cross the line of propriety.

But Williams said the bill was a “fair-minded” way to protect peace and privacy in a community.

The Senate passed the bill with a voice vote on second reading. It faces another vote in the Senate before moving to the House.