Increase penalty for disturbing a lawful meeting in certain cases
HB 662 increases penalties for disrupting religious gatherings at tax-exempt places of worship or virtual religious meetings. It raises the offense from a fourth-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor (felony) when someone intentionally disturbs a physical religious service at a tax-exempt location or disrupts a virtual religious gathering using electronic means like video conferencing. The bill specifically targets acts that obstruct meetings, make disruptive gestures, or utter words that outrage the group, but only in these defined religious contexts. This change directly affects individuals who interfere with religious assemblies, both in person and online, by imposing stricter legal consequences.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 29, 2026
Last action Feb 4, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to committee
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
2 primary · 21 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Johnathan Newman
RRepublican
P
Tex Fischer
RRepublican
Co
Angie King
RRepublican
Co
Beth Lear
RRepublican
Co
D.J. Swearingen
RRepublican
Co
Gary Click
RRepublican
Co
Heidi Workman
RRepublican
Co
Jennifer Gross
RRepublican
Co
Jodi Salvo
RRepublican
Co
Josh Williams
RRepublican
Co
Kevin Ritter
RRepublican
Co
Levi Dean
RRepublican
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