Alabama House Passes Worship-Service Felony Bill
HB363 creates a Class C felony for disrupting worship services, carving new protections for houses of worship beyond current riot and disorder laws
The Alabama House passed House Bill 363 (HB363) on Tuesday by a vote of 75 yeas, 27 nays and 2 abstentions, advancing legislation that would make knowingly disrupting a scheduled worship service a Class C felony under state law.
Sponsored by Rep. Greg Barnes (R-Jasper), the bill establishes the new offense of “disruption of a worship service.” Under the provisions of HB363, a person would be guilty of the crime if, during a scheduled service, they knowingly enter a church building or adjoining property with the intent to disrupt the service and then engage in activities such as unlawful protest, riot, disorderly conduct or harassment of worshipers. The measure also covers obstruction of ingress or egress to the church property during a service — conduct not separately criminalized under current State law.
If enacted, HB363 would impose a Class C felony penalty, which in Alabama can include a prison term of up to 10 years and potential fines — a significant jump from existing misdemeanor-level responses to disorderly conduct or trespass.
Supporters on the House floor argued the measure is aimed at preventing the kind of disruptions seen at a Minnesota church earlier this year, where protestors entered a Sunday service and interrupted proceedings, leading to federal charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Rep. Barnes has said the goal is to protect the First Amendment right to worship without unlawful interference. Opponents cautioned that the bill could sweep in conduct that should be handled under existing public order statutes rather than carving out special protections for houses of worship.
The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate for further consideration.
The full text of HB363 as engrossed is at THIS LINK.
