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President Barack Obama signed the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 into law on Monday. This act provides a wide-ranging package of benefits to military personnel and enacts new restrictions on protests of service member funerals.

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Obama said before signing the bill:

“We have a moral sacred duty to our men and women in uniform…The graves of our veterans are hallowed grounds.”

The new law will have a strong effect on the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based organization which has been labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League.

The church has drawn media attention for its signature form of protest, which frequently links the deaths of soldiers to America’s growing acceptance of gays.

Under the new legislation, protests must be held at least 300 feet from military funerals and are prohibited two hours before or after a service. The law counters a 2011 Supreme Court ruling, which found that displays such as Westboro’s were protected under the First Amendment.

Steven Drain, Westboro spokesman told CNN over the weekend that the law was “not going to change our plans at all.”

According to the Army Times, future violations of The Honoring America’s Veterans Act would include the possibility of $50,000 in statutory damages.