South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 4268
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Dillard, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, B.J. Cox, B.L. Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J.E. Johnson, J.L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, May, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Murphy, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Sessions, G.M. Smith, M.M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow
Document Path: LC-0133PH-GM25.docx
Introduced in the House on March 27, 2025
Adopted by the House on March 27, 2025
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
| Date | Body | Action Description with journal page number |
|---|---|---|
| 3/27/2025 | House | Introduced and adopted (House Journal-page 40) |
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
A house RESOLUTION
TO DECLARE APRIL 2025 AS "SECOND CHANCE MONTH" IN SOUTH CAROLINA and to commend SOTERIA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ON its outstanding work in assisting formerly incarcerated individuals to reenter society.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the critical services provided by the Soteria Community Development Corporation (CDC), a ministry established by Jerry Blassingame that assists formerly incarcerated individuals in reentering society and becoming productive citizens; and
Whereas, individuals returning from prison and those who have paid their debt after committing a crime face significant barriers and often struggle to obtain housing, employment, or education; regain voting rights; or volunteer in their community. In addition, they often must pay for significant debt that arises as a result of their conviction and incarceration; and
Whereas, with a passion for reaching individuals whose lives have been impacted by crime, Soteria CDC provides individuals with the necessary essentials, including housing, job training, and discipleship programs, that they need in order to transition smoothly back into society; and
Whereas, from 2021 through 2023, only three percent of the men who completed six months of the program and zero percent of those who completed twelve months of the program served by Soteria CDC have returned to prison, a much lower percentage than the state average of more than twenty-one percent; and
Whereas, Soteria CDC opened its first transitional home for men in 2001 with a four-bed capacity. By 2005, the ministry had expanded to include reentry services for women. After adding additional homes and later converting them into low income rental properties, the Soteria House in Traveler's Rest was opened in 2018, a fifteen-bed residential housing facility for men; and
Whereas, Greenville County incarcerates more women than any other county in South Carolina. To serve those women navigating the obstacles to reentering society, Soteria CDC opened a sixteen-bed transitional housing facility for women in May 2022, mirroring the men's program by offering housing, job training, and life-skills classes; and
Whereas, recognizing the importance of providing support to individuals reentering society following incarceration, the House of Representatives is pleased to designate April as "Second Chance Month" in order to contribute to increase public awareness about the need for closure for those who have paid their debt and to encourage the creation of opportunities for individuals, employers, congregations, and communities to extend second chances. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, declare April 2025 as "Second Chance Month" in South Carolina and commend Soteria Community Development Corporation on its outstanding work in assisting formerly incarcerated individuals to reenter society.
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This web page was last updated on March 27, 2025 at 11:45 AM