Relating to: penalty for the terrorist crimes against the occupants of a church and providing a penalty.
This bill increases penalties for individuals convicted of felony crimes targeting church occupants with intent to terrorize or intimidate them. It mandates a minimum one-year prison sentence (with no probation allowed) for such offenses and requires prosecutors to seek court approval before dismissing or amending charges. Additionally, it prohibits deferred prosecution programs for these cases and directs courts to verify the specific intent element during trials. The law applies to any felony where the defendant intended to terrorize two or more people inside a church.
Bill status
failed
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 26, 2026
Last action Mar 23, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Feb 26, 2026
Introduced
Introduced by Representatives Wichgers, Knodl, Allen, Behnke, Brill, Goeben, Gundrum, Murphy, O'Connor, Pronschinske, Tittl and Maxey;
cosponsored by Senators Jacque and Bradley
lower
12 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Chuck Wichgers
RRepublican
P
Dan Knodl
RRepublican
P
Dave Maxey
RRepublican
P
Dave Murphy
RRepublican
P
Elijah Behnke
RRepublican
P
Jerry O'Connor
RRepublican
P
Joy Goeben
RRepublican
P
Lindee Brill
RRepublican
P
Paul Tittl
RRepublican
P
Rick Gundrum
RRepublican
P
Scott Allen
RRepublican
P
Treig Pronschinske
RRepublican
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