Republican-controlled state legislatures are reacting to events such as the Women’s March against Trump and Black Lives Matter protests by proposing bills that levy penalties on protesters especially those blocking roadways. In North Dakota where the protest continues over the Dakota Access Pipeline, a lawmaker introduced a bill allowing motorists to run over and kill any protester on a highway as long as the mayhem was not intentional. (NPR, January 31, 2017, by Clay Masters)
Spencer Woodman, January 23, 2017 reported for The Intercept that legislators in 10 states introduced laws to make peaceful protests a crime. In Virginia the proposed law increases the amount for unlawful assembly from $500 to $2500 and in some cases the laws extend the range of activities covered by the law.