South Carolina H 3032: Disrupting a religious service or funeral

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3032 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3032

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 16-17-530, RELATING TO PUBLIC DISORDERLY CONDUCT, SO AS TO RESTRUCTURE 
THE OFFENSE TO INCLUDE DISRUPTING OR DISTURBING A RELIGIOUS SERVICE OR FUNERAL 
IN THE PURVIEW OF THE STATUTE AND TO PROVIDE GRADUATED PENALTIES FOR A 
VIOLATION OF A DISORDERLY CONDUCT OFFENSE; AND BY REPEALING SECTIONs 16-17-520 
AND 16-17-525 RELATING TO DISTURBING RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND FUNERALS, 
RESPECTIVELY.

Be it enacted by the General 
Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 16-17-530 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
16-17-530. (A) A person who is: (1) found on any highway or at any public 
place or public gathering in a grossly intoxicated condition or otherwise 
conducts himself in a disorderly or boisterous manner; (2) uses obscene or 
profane language on any highway or at any public place or gathering or in 
hearing distance of any schoolhouse or church; or (3) while under the 
influence or feigning to be under the influence of intoxicating liquor, without 
just cause or excuse, discharges any gun, pistol, or other firearm while upon 
or within fifty yards of any public road or highway, except upon his own 
premises, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not 
more than one hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than thirty days. 
However, conditional discharge may be granted by the court in accordance with 
the provisions of this section upon approval by the circuit solicitor. As used in this section, "disorderly conduct" means a public 
disturbance intentionally caused by a person who:

 (1) is in a grossly intoxicated 
condition on any highway or at any public place or public gathering;

 (2) engages in fighting or other 
violent conduct or engages in conduct threatening imminent fighting or other 
violence;

 (3) makes any utterance, gesture, or 
display, or uses abusive, obscene, or profane language which is intended and 
plainly likely to provoke violent retaliation and cause a breach of the peace;

 (4) except as provided in item (5), 
disrupts, disturbs, or interferes with a religious service, assembly, or 
gathering or engages in conduct which disturbs the peace or order at any 
religious service, assembly, or gathering including any of the facilities or 
buildings where a religious service, assembly, or gathering takes place; or

 (5) engages in conduct with the intent 
to impede, disrupt, disturb, or interfere with the orderly administration of 
any funeral, memorial service, or family processional to the funeral or 
memorial service including, but not limited to, a military funeral, service, or 
family processional, or with the normal activities and functions occurring in 
the facilities or buildings where a funeral or memorial service is taking 
place. The following conduct that occurs within two hours preceding, during, or 
within two hours after a funeral or memorial service constitutes disorderly 
conduct pursuant to the provisions of this item:

 (a) displaying, within five hundred 
feet of the ceremonial site, location of the funeral or memorial, or the 
family's processional route to the funeral or memorial service, any visual 
image that conveys fighting words or actual or imminent threats of harm 
directed to any person or property associated with the funeral, memorial 
service, or processional route;

 (b) uttering, within five hundred feet 
of the ceremonial site, location of the funeral or memorial service, or the 
family's processional route to the funeral or memorial service, loud, 
threatening, or abusive, obscene, or profane language or singing, chanting, 
whistling, or yelling with or without noise amplification in a manner that 
would tend to impede, disrupt, disturb, or interfere with a funeral, memorial 
service, or processional route; or

 (c) attempting to block or blocking 
pedestrian or vehicular access to the ceremonial site or location being used 
for a funeral or memorial.

 As 
used in this subsection, the term "facilities or buildings" includes the 
surrounding grounds, premises, or other property of a building or facility used 
in connection with the operation or functioning of the facilities or buildings.

 (B) A person who violates the 
provisions of this section commits the offense of disorderly conduct and:

 (1) for a first offense, is guilty of 
a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand 
dollars or imprisoned not more than ninety days;

 (2) for a second offense, is guilty of 
misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than three thousand 
dollars or imprisoned not more than three ye