Speaker Menin to put up new school buffer bill to counter Mamdani’s veto
Last month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed the controversial “buffer zone” bill for protests outside schools. City Council Speaker Julie Menin is now revising the legislation to prevent another veto.
If signed into law, the bill would have required the NYPD to create protest plans for educational facilities.
The measure was part of the City Council’s effort to combat antisemitism, though opponents argued it would restrict free speech. While Menin said she has enough support to override the veto, she is revising the bill instead.
“We will introduce and hold a hearing on amended legislation that more clearly defines educational facilities as early childhood education sites and most K through 12 schools,” Menin said.
Teaching hospitals, libraries, colleges, and universities would be excluded from the revised version. That means the NYPD would not have to create a buffer zone plan for protests like those at Columbia University.
City Hall spokesman Sam Raskin said Mayor Mamdani will review the legislation, adding, “The mayor believes New York City must remain a place where students can access their schools safely, as well as exercise their constitutional right to protest.”
A companion bill requiring the NYPD to create protest buffer plans outside houses of worship passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority.
