---
title: HB 1322. Crimes and offenses; riot; repeal misdemeanor penalty and provide for a felony penalty
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1322
cite_as: HB 1322, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1322
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1322.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1322/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73251
date: 2026-03-06
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1321.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1323.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1322.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1322
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-17
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Mike Cheokas
  - Clint Crowe
  - Eddie Lumsden
  - Buddy DeLoach
  - Charles Cannon
  - Deborah Silcox
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1322/2025
upstream_id: 2118549
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - riot laws
  - criminal penalties
  - bail procedures
  - felony sentencing
---

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

## Text

House Bill 1322
By: Representatives Cheokas of the 151st, Crowe of the 118th, Lumsden of the 12th, DeLoach
of the 167th, Cannon of the 172nd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 16-11-30 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to riot,
so as to repeal the misdemeanor penalty and provide for a felony penalty; to amend Code
Section 17-6-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to when offenses bailable,
procedure, schedule of bails, and appeal bonds, so as to include the offense of riot; to provide
for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 16-11-30 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to riot, is
amended as follows:
"16-11-30.
(a) Any two or more persons who shall do an unlawful act of violence or any other act in
a violent and tumultuous manner commit the offense of riot.
(b) Any persons who violate subsection (a) of this Code section <del>are</del> <ins>shall be</ins> guilty of a
<del>misdemeanor</del> <ins>felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for
not less than one nor more than 20 years."
</ins>
SECTION 2.
Code Section 17-6-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to when offenses
bailable, procedure, schedule of bails, and appeal bonds, is amended by revising paragraphs
(13) and (14) of subsection (a) and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(13) Violating Code Section 16-5-46; <del>and
</del> (14) Violations of Chapter 15 of Title 16; <ins>and
(15) Riot."
</ins> SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House bill would turn the crime of riot from a misdemeanor into a felony punishable by 1 to 20 years in prison, and would add riot to the list of offenses covered by the state's bail schedule law.

### Plain-language summary

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.

### What it does

- 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.

### Who it affects

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.

### Why it matters

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.

### Key provisions

- 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.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-02-17)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-06)
- Sponsors: Mike Cheokas, Clint Crowe, Eddie Lumsden, Buddy DeLoach, Charles Cannon, Deborah Silcox
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73251

> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1322.md?full=1