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SB 1026

Increasing criminal penalties and fines for disturbing religious worship

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Kevan Bartlett and 1 co-sponsor

West Virginia law now imposes higher criminal penalties and fines for acts that disturb or disrupt religious worship, including services and gatherings.

Chapter 101, Acts, Regular Session, 2026
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Bill Summary · SB 1026

Bill overview

  • Jurisdiction: West Virginia
  • Session: 2026
  • Title: Increasing criminal penalties and fines for disturbing religious worship
  • Status: Enacted as Chapter 101, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 (effective 2026-?; see timeline below)
  • Introduced and sponsorship: Primary sponsor in the Senate with cosponsors Vince Deeds and Kevan Bartlett

Purpose and intent

The bill aims to increase criminal penalties and fines for conduct that disturbs or disrupts religious worship. It is designed to strengthen accountability for actions deemed as interfering with or disrupting religious services and ceremonies. The legislative history indicates rapid advancement through the legislature, with final passage and enactment in March–April 2026 and subsequent chaptering in June 2026.

Key provisions and changes

  • New or increased penalties: The bill broadens and/or raises criminal penalties for acts that disturb, disrupt, or interfere with religious worship. This commonly includes acts such as violent disruption, threats, or other conduct that would unduly interfere with the orderly conduct of a worship service or religious gathering.
  • Fines and incarceration: The bill specifies higher fines and/or longer jail terms applicable to offenses related to disturbing religious worship. The exact monetary amounts and sentence lengths are defined within the statute but are not enumerated in the summary provided.
  • Scope of protected activity: The protections cover organized religious worship services, ceremonies, or gatherings held in places of worship or other venues where worship occurs.
  • Enforcement and proceedings: Offenses are subject to the state's criminal justice processes, including charging, prosecution, and potential protective or restraining orders as applicable to the offense.
  • Victim and property considerations: If applicable, offenses might include damage to property, obstruction of entry/exit, or threats against participants, with penalties aligned to the severity of the disturbance.
  • Settings affected: Public and private worship settings across the state, including churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other recognized houses of worship.

Who would be affected

  • Individuals committing disturbances: The primary beneficiaries of the bill’s penalties are communities seeking protection for worship services and individuals who would be penalized for interfering with religious gatherings.
  • Religious institutions and congregants: Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other faith communities would gain enhanced legal recourse and deterrence against disruptions.
  • Law enforcement and prosecutors: Agencies responsible for enforcing criminal statutes and prosecuting offenses related to disturbance of worship would implement and apply the new penalties.
  • Judiciary: Courts would interpret and apply the revised statute, including determining appropriate penalties within the statutory framework.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced in Senate: February 20, 2026
  • Committee and readings: Proceeded through Judiciary committee; multiple readings and amendments in February–March 2026
  • Senate action: Passed in March 2026 (Roll No. 303)
  • House action: Concurred in House amendments and passed in March 2026 (Roll No. 661)
  • Executive action: Approved by Governor and transmitted to the Governor in March 2026; signed into law
  • Chaptering: Chapter 101, Acts, Regular Session, 2026, effective 2026 (date of chaptering June 25, 2026)
  • Effective date: Typically, enacted laws take effect on a specified date stated in the act; the chapter history indicates finalization in June 2026, with potential retroactive or immediate effect depending on the bill's text.

Summary of impact

  • The bill strengthens criminal penalties and fines for disturbances of religious worship.
  • It broadens protections for worship services and related activities.
  • It clarifies enforcement paths for law enforcement and prosecutors, and aligns judicial processes with the enhanced penalties.
  • It potentially increases deterrence against disruptions of religious gatherings while raising considerations for First Amendment rights; implementation details would be defined in the enacted statute.

If you’d like, I can extract the precise statutory language (penalty amounts, sentence lengths, and specific conduct definitions) from the enacted text to provide a line-by-line comparison with existing law.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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