HB242: HB242 Crimes and offenses; disorderly or disruptive conduct at any funeral or memorial service; include religious worship and observance

Georgia currently has a law, O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34.2, that makes it illegal to disrupt a funeral or memorial service on purpose. This bill rewrites that law so the same protections also apply to religious worship and observance, meaning church services, prayer gatherings, and similar religious events. The bill revises subsection (a), which explains why the General Assembly is passing the law, to say that people have a substantial interest in attending religious worship or observance, or a funeral or memorial service, without unwanted interference. It also revises the opening language of subsection (b), which lists the actual behavior that is banned, so that intentionally disrupting religious worship or observance is treated the same as disrupting a funeral or memorial service. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not list a delayed effective date beyond the standard process.

• Expands an existing Georgia crime, disrupting a funeral or memorial service (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34.2), to also cover religious worship and observance.
• Rewrites the law's stated purpose in subsection (a) to declare that attending religious worship or observance without interference is a substantial interest.
• Revises the opening language of subsection (b), the section listing banned disruptive conduct, to add religious worship and observance alongside funerals and memorials.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this change.

The change affects anyone who attends, leads, or organizes religious worship services, as well as people attending funerals or memorial services. It also affects anyone whose conduct could be charged as disorderly or disruptive under this law, including protesters or demonstrators near these events.

If enacted, someone who intentionally disrupts a church service, prayer gathering, or other religious observance could face the same criminal penalties that currently apply only to disrupting funerals and memorial services in Georgia, extending legal protection to a broader set of gatherings.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34.2 to add religious worship and observance to the interests the law is meant to protect.
• Section 1 also revises the introductory language of subsection (b) so that intentionally disrupting religious worship or observance becomes illegal alongside disrupting funerals or memorials.
• Section 2 repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this amendment.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-20House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
3. 2025-02-06House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-05House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-04House Hopper (House)

• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)Primary sponsor
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Joe Campbell (R, HD-171)
• Esther Panitch (D, HD-051)

• religious worship protections
• funeral disruption law
• criminal law
• disorderly conduct