4 states cracking down on worship service disruptions after the Cities Church storming

1. Idaho

In March, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1296, which created a specific criminal trespassing offense for entering or remaining on church property without permission. The bill, co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Lori Den Hartog, Mark Harris and Doug Ricks, takes effect July 1.

“People should go to church to be able to sit in peace, worship as they please, without having to worry about people coming in and harassing them,” Harris said about the bill. “I think the thing that happened in Minnesota was kind of a shock to some of us, that churches would be used as a place to berate people.”

Under the legislation, a person “commits criminal trespass and is guilty of a misdemeanor when he enters or remains on the premises of a church or house of worship without permission, knowing or with reason to know that his presence is not permitted and with the intent to intimidate or harass or to disrupt a church service or assemblage of people meeting for religious worship.”

The bill outlines penalties for the offense, including possible jail time and fines ranging from $500 to $1,000 for a first offense. Additional penalties may apply for repeat offenses or trespasses involving property damage.

Sen. James Ruchti, a Democrat who was absent, stated that the “freedom to worship is given broad, broad protections to ensure that people can take advantage of that First Amendment right.” Four other Democrats voted in favor of SB 1296 alongside 29 Republicans.

“So, I think it is appropriate that it is treated separately from other concerns about free speech,” Ruchti added.

Idaho House lawmakers also passed House Bill 615 earlier this year, making it a misdemeanor to “maliciously and willfully” disturb or delay a religious gathering. Little also signed the bill in March, and it is scheduled to take effect July 1.