Crime of disruption of worship services established.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Marj Fogelman and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a new offense: entering a religious establishment with intent to disrupt a worship service, first offense a gross misdemeanor, repeat offenses a felony.

Author added Lawrence

#crimesandcriminals #religionandreligiousbeliefs

Purpose and Intent

HF 5035 proposes a new criminal provision to deter and sanction disruptions of worship services. The bill creates a specific offense for entering a religious establishment with the intent to disrupt a scheduled worship service, and adds enhanced penalties for repeat offenses. The effective date is August 1, 2026, with the provision applying to crimes committed on or after that date.

Key Provisions

New offense: Disruption of Worship Services

Subd. 2a(a) – First offense: 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 establishment, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Subd. 2a(b) – Second or subsequent offense: If a person violates Subdivision 2a(a) a second or subsequent time, the offense becomes a felony, punishable by:

Imprisonment for up to 5 years, or
A fine of up to $10,000, or
Both imprisonment and fine.

Definitions

Religious establishment (Subd. 3): A building used for worship services by a religious organization and clearly identified as such by a posted sign or other means.

This definition clarifies what counts as a “religious establishment” for purposes of the new offense.

Affected Parties and Context

Who is Covered

Individuals who enter a building identified as a religious establishment with the intent to disrupt a scheduled worship service and commit a crime inside during that disruption.

The offense applies to the specific context of disrupting a worship service, rather than broad disruption of any religious activity outside a service context.

What Is Affected

Criminal liability for disrupting worship services, introducing a formal mechanism (gross misdemeanor for first offense; felony for subsequent offenses) to address this specific type of disruption.

Potentially influences policing, prosecution, and sentencing related to disruptions of worship services in Minnesota.

Procedural and Timeline Details

Effective Date: August 1, 2026.

Applicability: The new Subdivision 2a (Disruption of worship services prohibited) applies to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026.

Amendments: Sec. 2 also revises the existing Subdivision 3 (Definition) to define “religious establishment” as a building used for worship services and clearly identified as such.

Practical Implications

The bill creates a targeted criminal offense with escalating penalties to deter intentional disruption of worship services.

It provides a clear framework for distinguishing first-time disruptions (gross misdemeanor) from repeated disruptions (felony with up to 5 years’ imprisonment and/or $10,000 fine).

Institutions housing religious services may rely on the new offense to address safety and order during services.

Administrative Notes

Bill introduced: HF 5035, authored by Rep. Fogelman (co-sponsor), referred to the Public Safety Finance and Policy committee.

The text indicates the focus is on creating a statutory offense and defining “religious establishment” for enforcement purposes.

If you’d like, I can add a side-by-side comparison with Minnesota’s existing related offenses or provide a one-page briefing for policymakers or stakeholders.

Bill