SB 743: Criminal disturbance; specifying range of punishment for certain offenses; modifying elements of certain offense. Emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a House version to a Senate version, which significantly altered the penalties for disturbing religious meetings by increasing fines and adding community service requirements. The Senate version also expanded the scope to include stricter felony penalties for prostitution and child sex trafficking, and introduced a plea agreement option for first-time commercial sex buyers involving diversion programming.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include stricter felony penalties for prostitution and child sex trafficking, and added a plea agreement option for first-time commercial sex buyers involving diversion programming.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for disturbing religious meetings were increased, with fines rising to $7,500 for third offenses and the addition of mandatory community service (40-80 hours).

New felony penalties were added for engaging in prostitution while HIV-positive (up to 5 years) and child sex trafficking (up to 10 years).

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new law was set to November 1, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

A new provision allows first-time offenders charged with commercial sex buyer offenses to enter into a plea agreement that includes commercial sex buyer diversion programming.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → SB743 (3-25-25) (GOLLIHARE) FS FA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was converted from a 'Committee Substitute' to a 'Floor Substitute,' indicating it has moved from committee review to the floor for final passage. The substantive legal text regarding the penalties for disturbing religious meetings and the specific prohibited acts remains identical to the previous version, with no changes to fines, jail time, or the list of offenses.

Scope change

The scope of the law and its applicability remain unchanged; only the procedural status of the bill has been updated.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and header were updated to reflect its new status as a Floor Substitute, replacing the previous Committee Substitute designation.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten by the House Committee, replacing the original text with a new version that maintains the core purpose of protecting religious worship from obstruction. The primary substantive change is a technical update to the document's internal tracking numbers (e.g., 'Req. No.' and bill reference codes) to reflect the House's version, while the legal text regarding penalties and findings remains substantively identical to the original proposal.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it still applies to the same legal sections (21 O.S. 2021, Sections 915 and 916) and targets the same conduct (disturbing religious assemblages).

TECHNICAL

Updated internal document tracking numbers and reference codes (e.g., changing 'Req. No. 13443' to '13573') to reflect the House Committee's version of the bill.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the entire text of the original version with a new version that contains identical substantive content. No policy, legal, or operational changes were made; the amendment appears to be a procedural re-submission or formatting update.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original enrolled bill text, including the list of sponsors from both the Senate and House.

Added a new header identifying the document as a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' from the House of Representatives, dated April 8, 2025.

Replaced the full bill text with a version that repeats the exact same findings, definitions, penalties, and emergency declaration as the original, indicating no substantive policy shift.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 4 edits · Feb 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized from its Engrossed version to the Enrolled version, primarily updating the list of sponsors to include new legislators and adding a formal legislative finding that protects the right to religious assembly against willful obstruction. The core legal definitions, penalties, and emergency declaration remained substantively unchanged, though the final text was reorganized to include a new section declaring these findings before the existing amendments.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding criminal penalties and prohibited acts remains the same, but it now explicitly includes a legislative declaration affirming the state's interest in protecting religious worship from obstruction.

ELIGIBILITY

Updated the list of bill sponsors to reflect new legislators (Hall, Haste, Pae, Schreiber, and Manger) who joined the original authors.

DEFINITION

Added a new section declaring legislative findings that the right to religious assembly is imperative and that preventing willful obstruction of access to religious meetings is a compelling public interest.

TECHNICAL

Reorganized the bill structure to move the legislative findings to a new Section 1 and renumbered the subsequent amendments accordingly.

TIMELINE

Updated the passage dates on the final page to reflect the Enrolled version dates (February 2026 for Senate, May 2025 for House) compared to the earlier Engrossed version.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 3 edits · Feb 4, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to add legislative findings emphasizing the right to religious assembly and to increase penalties for repeat offenders. Specifically, a second or subsequent offense of disturbing a religious meeting is now classified as a felony with a potential fine of up to $1,000 and up to two years in prison, whereas previously it was only a misdemeanor. The amendment also updated the list of prohibited acts to explicitly include 'protest' and 'demonstration' alongside shows and plays.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to cover a broader range of disruptive activities by adding 'protest' and 'demonstration' to the list of prohibited acts, and the severity of consequences increased for repeat offenders by elevating the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a specific provision stating that a second or subsequent offense of disturbing a religious meeting is now a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

DEFINITION

Modified the list of prohibited acts in Section 916 to explicitly include 'protest' and 'demonstration' as forms of obstruction.

SCOPE

Added legislative findings declaring the right to religious worship imperative and the need to balance protest rights against religious assembly rights.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 6 edits · Feb 4, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to change its subject matter from prostitution laws to criminal disturbance at religious meetings. The new version establishes stricter penalties for protesting near churches, including new felony charges for repeat offenders and specific prohibitions against blocking entry or displaying signs within 100 feet of a door.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from regulating prostitution and sex trafficking to regulating protests and disturbances at places of religious worship.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions regarding prostitution, sex trafficking, HIV status, and plea agreements related to commercial sex buyers.

Added new legislation focusing on criminal disturbance of religious meetings, including legislative findings on the balance between free speech and religious rights.

REQUIREMENT

Created new specific prohibitions against knowingly obstructing entry to religious meetings and approaching individuals within 8 feet for the purpose of passing leaflets or displaying signs.

Established a 100-foot radius restriction around entrance doors for activities like displaying signs or oral protests.

Added a prohibition on exhibiting unlicensed shows or plays within one mile of a religious meeting.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed penalties for disturbing religious meetings to include a felony charge for second or subsequent offenses, with fines up to $1,000 and up to 2 years in prison.

Criminal disturbance; specifying range of punishment for certain offenses; modifying elements of certain offense. Emergency.

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