The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote, planned for Tuesday, on the Right to Worship Act, which would establish protective buffer zones around religious institutions during services in response to incidents of harassment and violence at synagogues and other houses of worship.

The legislation was initially scheduled for a vote prior to the Senate’s October recess, but was postponed when the Senate canceled planned session days before departing. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced at the outset of Tuesday’s meeting that the vote was being postponed until the committee’s next business meeting; committee members have the prerogative to request such a delay at their discretion.

A source familiar with Senate Judiciary Committee negotiations said that the vote was delayed due to ongoing talks between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, and Democrats on the committee.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the committee’s ranking member, said he did not know why the vote was delayed. He told Jewish Insider that he was supportive of the intention of the bill but had concerns about its execution.

“I was very fixed on that because I think it’s an important piece of legislation and they withdrew it,” Durbin said. 

Asked about objections to the buffer zones legislation among Democrats, Durbin said, “There are a lot of issues — and I have some myself,” including “whether or not we’re really protecting the right to worship of all religions.”

The bill has received some pushback from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other groups in the Muslim community but has support from groups representing a wide array of faiths, including the Islamic Society of North America, and supporters have emphasized that it is neutral to both the religion of the institution and the nature of demonstrations targeting religious institutions.