HF5035

Purpose

• Establish a new criminal offense to protect worship services from disruption.
• Create penalties to address disruptions in religious services held at a religious establishment.

Main provisions

• Adds Subdivision 2a to Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 609.28, titled “Disruption of worship services prohibited.”
• Offense details:
  • Paragraph a: A person who enters a religious establishment with the intent to disrupt a worship service that has a scheduled starting time and commits a crime within the religious establishment is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
  • Paragraph b: If a person violates paragraph a a second or subsequent time, that person is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
• Key elements include:
  • The worship service must have a scheduled starting time.
  • The offense requires both entering the religious establishment with the intent to disrupt and committing a crime within the establishment.

Significance and potential impact

• Strengthens tools to deter and penalize disruptions of worship services.
• Establishes escalating penalties for repeat violations (gross misdemeanor initially; felony on subsequent offenses).
• Aligns with public safety goals by adding specific consequences for interfering with religious worship.

Significant changes to existing law

• Adds a new subdivision (2a) to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.28, explicitly defining and penalizing disruption of worship services within religious establishments.

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Relevant Terms

• disruption of worship services
• religious establishment
• worship service
• scheduled starting time
• gross misdemeanor
• felony
• second or subsequent offense
• imprisonment up to five years
• fine up to $10,000
• Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 609.28
• Subd. 2a