HB 1322: Crimes and offenses; riot; repeal misdemeanor penalty and provide for a felony penalty

Under current Georgia law, riot (defined as two or more people committing an act of violence or acting in a violent and tumultuous manner) is punished as a misdemeanor. This bill rewrites that penalty in Code Section 16-11-30 so that anyone convicted of riot faces a felony charge, with a prison sentence of not less than one year and not more than 20 years. The bill also changes Georgia's bail law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1), which lists specific offenses and sets rules for how bail is handled for them. It adds riot to that list alongside other listed offenses, meaning riot would now be explicitly covered by the bail procedures in that section. The bill does not change the underlying definition of riot itself, only the penalty and its bail treatment. It repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a specific effective date beyond the standard process of becoming law.

• Rewrites the penalty in O.C.G.A. § 16-11-30 so riot becomes a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
• Sets the felony sentence for riot at not less than one year and not more than 20 years in prison.
• Adds riot as a new paragraph (15) to the list of offenses covered under Georgia's bail schedule law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1).
• Leaves the definition of riot itself unchanged: two or more people committing a violent or tumultuous act.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these changes.

People charged with or convicted of riot in Georgia, criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges setting bail and sentences, and county jails and state prisons that would handle longer felony sentences instead of misdemeanor terms.

Someone convicted of riot would face a felony record and up to 20 years in prison instead of the shorter jail time and lesser consequences that come with a misdemeanor. Adding riot to the bail statute could also change how judges set bail conditions for people charged with the offense.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-11-30(b) to remove the misdemeanor penalty and replace it with a felony penalty of one to 20 years imprisonment.
• Section 1 leaves subsection (a)'s definition of riot (two or more persons committing a violent or tumultuous act) unchanged.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1 by adding a new paragraph (15) listing 'Riot' among offenses covered by the state's bail schedule and procedures.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect on its own.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-19House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-18House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-17House Hopper (House)

• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)Primary sponsor
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)
• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)

• riot laws
• criminal penalties
• bail procedures
• felony sentencing