SB 306: RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS/LIBERTIES: Creates the crime of obstruction of the freedom of worship in a church or other place of worship. (gov sig) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #807, Edmonds, Adopted → SB306 Act · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized to create a new criminal offense for obstructing freedom of worship at churches and other places of worship. It defines specific prohibited actions, such as using force to intimidate worshippers, damaging property, and engaging in disruptive activities during services. The law establishes penalties ranging from fines and short-term imprisonment for first offenses to significantly harsher sentences for repeat offenders or cases involving bodily injury.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a draft amendment stage to a finalized act, adding comprehensive definitions for terms like 'disruptive activity' and 'religious organization' to clarify exactly what conduct is prohibited.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'attendee', 'church or other place of worship', 'clergy', 'disruptive activity', 'religious organization', and 'worship service' to ensure consistent application of the law.

ENFORCEMENT

Specific penalties were established, including fines up to $2,500 and up to six months in jail for first offenses, with much stricter penalties for repeat offenses or incidents causing physical injury.

A new provision was added to hold individuals criminally liable if they knowingly finance or provide material support to others committing these offenses.

REQUIREMENT

The act explicitly prohibits using force, threatening injury, denying lawful access to facilities, and engaging in disruptive activities that interfere with worship services.

A civil liability section was added, allowing prevailing plaintiffs to recover damages for offenses related to the obstruction of freedom of worship.

SB306 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #807, Edmonds, Adopted · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to tighten the language regarding property damage and personal actions, ensuring the text uses present tense verbs (e.g., 'damages' instead of 'damaging'). It also added a specific reference to the First Amendment and Louisiana Constitution to clarify the protected rights. Several amendments refined the definitions of 'disruptive activity' and 'clergy' to ensure clarity and alignment with legal standards.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was narrowed and clarified by removing broad references to 'First Amendment' rights in the definition of protected activities and replacing general terms like 'using' with specific actions like 'uses' to define criminal conduct more precisely.

DEFINITION

Changed 'Using force' to 'Uses force' and 'Intentionally damaging' to 'Intentionally damages' to align the statute with standard present-tense legal definitions of criminal acts.

Removed the explicit mention of the 'First Amendment' from the list of rights being protected, replacing it with a reference to the specific Louisiana Constitution article.

Replaced the phrase 'Willfully denying' with 'Willfully denies' and 'Willfully refusing or failing' with 'Willfully refuses or fails' to clarify that the act of denial or refusal itself constitutes the offense.

Changed 'Engaging in a disruptive activity' to 'Engages in a disruptive activity' to specify the actor's action.

Changed 'Knowingly financing, funding, or providing' to 'Knowingly finances, funds, or provides' to clearly define the financial support prohibited.

Deleted the phrase 'the offense of' from the penalty section to streamline the language describing sentencing.

Added a specific citation to Article XII, Section 17 of the Louisiana Constitution to explicitly ground the protected right to worship in state law.

SB306 Enrolled → SB306 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and reorganized to clarify its purpose as protecting religious freedom while explicitly acknowledging the right to peaceful protest. The most significant change is the redefinition of 'disruptive activity' to explicitly exclude unauthorized protests, riots, and disorderly conduct, ensuring these actions are not automatically treated as criminal obstruction of worship. Additionally, the penalties for obstructing worship were increased, with the maximum fine raised from $2,500 to $10,000 and the maximum prison term for first offenses increased from six months to one year.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed regarding what constitutes a crime; specifically, it now excludes protests and riots from the definition of disruptive activity that constitutes obstruction of worship, whereas the previous version did not explicitly exclude them.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'disruptive activity' was updated to explicitly exclude unauthorized protests, riots, disorderly conduct, and obstruction of ingress or egress, clarifying that these specific actions do not constitute a crime under this bill.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for obstructing the freedom of worship were increased; the maximum fine for a first offense rose from $2,500 to $10,000, and the maximum jail time for a first offense increased from six months to one year.

TECHNICAL

The bill was renumbered from 'Enrolled' to 'Original' and the list of sponsoring legislators was significantly shortened, removing most co-sponsors.

SCOPE

The legislative findings section was expanded to explicitly state that the right to engage in peaceful protest is essential to a free society, distinguishing it from the criminal obstruction of worship.

SB306 Reengrossed → SB306 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 19, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, adding Representatives to the list of sponsors and updating the session header. The core policy content regarding the new crime of obstructing religious worship remains unchanged, retaining the same definitions, prohibited acts, and penalties as the previous reengrossed version.

TECHNICAL

The list of bill sponsors was updated to include Representatives Adams, Boudreaux, Boyer, Chenvert, Cox, Horton, and Wiley, who were not listed in the reengrossed version.

The document header was changed from 'REENGROSSED' to 'ENROLLED' to indicate the bill has passed both legislative chambers and is ready for the Governor's signature.

Page numbering and internal coding notes were adjusted to reflect the final enrolled version, changing the total page count from 7 to 6.

SB306 Engrossed → SB306 Reengrossed · 4 edits · Mar 23, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to add multiple new co-sponsors and refine the legal language regarding the protection of freedom of worship. The most significant substantive change is the increase in penalties for repeat offenses, which now carry a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 15 days, and the removal of the option for hard labor in the first offense. Additionally, the definition of 'disruptive activity' was narrowed to specifically exclude 'unauthorized protest' from the list of prohibited acts, while maintaining penalties for riots and disorderly conduct.

Scope change

The bill's scope of protected activities was slightly narrowed by removing 'unauthorized protest' from the definition of disruptive activity, while the scope of punishment was broadened for repeat offenders.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for a second or subsequent offense were increased to include a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 15 days and the removal of hard labor as a sentencing option.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'disruptive activity' was modified to remove 'unauthorized protest' from the list of prohibited behaviors, though riots and disorderly conduct remain prohibited.

ELIGIBILITY

A new list of co-sponsors was added to the bill, expanding the group of legislators supporting the measure.

TECHNICAL

Minor wording adjustments were made throughout the text to improve clarity and legal precision, such as changing 'offense' to 'elements of the offense' in the summary.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS/LIBERTIES: Creates the crime of obstruction of the freedom of worship in a church or other place of worship. (gov sig)

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors