Ohio House Bill HB662

Ohio 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/29/26

Caption

To amend section 2917.12 of the Revised Code to increase the penalty for disturbing a lawful meeting under certain circumstances.

Summary

HB662 would amend Ohio’s disorderly-conduct-related statute on “disturbing a lawful meeting” to create higher penalties in two specific situations involving religious worship. Under current law, a person who intentionally prevents or disrupts a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering by obstructive acts or offensive utterances is guilty of a fourth-degree misdemeanor. The bill would keep that general offense in place, but elevate the offense to a fifth-degree felony when the conduct is directed at an assemblage for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship and disturbs the order and solemnity of the service, even if the conduct occurs on adjacent property. The bill also extends the higher penalty to intentional disruption of a virtual religious worship meeting or gathering, including through computers, telecommunications devices, or other electronic systems. It defines “virtual meeting or gathering” as one held by interactive video conference or teleconference, or a combination of those methods. In effect, the bill updates the statute to cover both in-person and online worship services, while preserving the existing misdemeanor penalty for other types of disturbances. If enacted, HB662 would amend section 2917.12 of the Revised Code and repeal the existing version of that section. Its practical impact would be to increase criminal exposure for conduct aimed at disrupting religious services, especially at churches or other tax-exempt places of worship and during online worship gatherings. The bill would not broadly change the law for all meetings, but it would carve out a more serious penalty for religious worship-related disruptions. The available legislative history shows the bill was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee, with no recorded votes or committee testimony provided in the materials. Because there is no transcript or vote record, the overall sentiment cannot be measured directly, but the bill’s sponsorship and framing suggest support for stronger protection of religious worship services. The main point of contention likely centers on whether the bill appropriately targets disruptive conduct at worship services or whether it creates a special criminal penalty for speech or protest activity near religious gatherings, including online activity.

Impact

HB662 would amend Ohio Revised Code section 2917.12 by creating a felony-level penalty for disturbing a lawful meeting when the conduct is aimed at religious worship services, including virtual services, while leaving the general offense as a fourth-degree misdemeanor for other meetings. It would affect individuals who intentionally disrupt in-person or online worship gatherings and would specifically reference tax-exempt places of worship and electronic communications systems.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote history is available, so there is no direct record of debate or roll-call sentiment. Based on the bill’s text and sponsorship, the measure appears to be framed as a protective, pro-religious-freedom/public-order bill intended to deter disruptions of worship services. The lack of recorded opposition or amendment activity in the provided materials means the level of support or concern cannot be quantified from the available record.

Contention

The likely areas of contention are the bill’s elevation of penalties for disruptions tied to religious worship, its application to conduct occurring on or near the property of a place of worship, and its extension to virtual worship gatherings. Critics could argue that the bill singles out religious assemblies for special criminal treatment or could be applied too broadly to expressive conduct, while supporters would likely emphasize the need to protect the solemnity and safety of worship services from intentional disruption.