Bill > SB743

This bill, an emergency measure, aims to protect religious gatherings by clarifying and strengthening laws against disturbing them. It declares that preventing the willful obstruction of access to places of religious worship is a matter of statewide concern and a compelling public interest. The bill modifies existing law to specify that disturbing a religious meeting is a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $500 and/or jail time up to one year, but a second or subsequent offense becomes a felony with fines up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment up to two years. It also expands the definition of what constitutes a disturbance to include knowingly obstructing someone's entry or exit from a religious meeting, and prohibits intentionally approaching someone within eight feet for the purpose of protesting, handing out leaflets, or engaging in other forms of communication within a 100-foot radius of an entrance without their consent. The bill also retains the prohibition against obstructing free passage along a highway within one mile of a meeting.

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http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb743&Session=2600