South Carolina H 5174: Betty Knotts, sympathy

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5174 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 12, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5174

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND 
HONOR KINDRED HEARTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOR THEIR WORK SUPPORTING KINSHIP CAREGIVERS 
IN A COMPREHENSIVE MANNER AND HELPING KINSHIP CAREGIVERS IDENTIFY AND NAVIGATE NEEDED 
RESOURCES TO ENSURE SAFE AND HEALTHY LIVING ENVIRONMENTS FOR FELLOW SOUTH CAROLINIANS. 

Whereas, when concerned 
members of the South Carolina Citizen Review Panel (SCCRP) realized the need 
that kinship caregivers and their families experience would be beyond the scope 
of CPR's policy review and public outreach obligations, Dr. Kimberly Janha, in 
collaboration with Kayla Mallett, sought to create a more robust and 
comprehensive plan to serve kinship communities better; and

Whereas, Dr. Janha and 
Ms. Mallett formed Kindred Hearts of South Carolina (KHSC), a nonprofit 
organization, as a service initiative primarily focused on the needs of 
caregivers, providing valuable resources and support to those taking care of 
their kin. As a kinship navigator program, Kindred Hearts was spawned from the 
need to address the gaps in services and resources available to caregivers not 
involved in the child protective services system; and

Whereas, by including 
families with both formal and informal placements, KHSC enables families to 
navigate systems to obtain resources and ensure a safe and healthy living 
environment, which is paramount in the development and wellbeing of both the 
children and the caregivers; and

Whereas, believing that 
a deliberate collaboration among state agencies and community organizations and 
businesses can offer a network that will reach all identified kinship families, 
Kindred Hearts is committed to building and sustaining a community that 
intentionally works together to provide resources to kinship care families in 
the forty-six counties of South Carolina. To support this mission, KHSC hosts 
summits grounded in prevention and awareness designed to engage parents, 
kinship caregivers, foster parents, educators, and community stakeholders; and

Whereas, KHSC serves 
whole families but works most directly with caregivers, such as grandparents, 
aunts and uncles, and other relatives, to ensure they have access to 
information, resources, and services. Kindred Hearts works with members of the 
community to raise awareness of kinship caregiving and to support grassroots 
advocacy efforts; and

Whereas, in 2019, pilot 
programs started in Clarendon, Dorchester, Laurens, Marlboro, and Richland counties 
which allowed for the development of navigation initiatives in rural and urban 
areas; and

Whereas, the South 
Carolina House of Representatives appreciates the noble work of KHSC, recognizing 
that when kinship caregivers have the right support, they can build a brighter 
future for South Carolinians through advocacy, education, and community 
engagement. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, recognize and honor Kindred Hearts of South Carolina for 
their work supporting kinship caregivers in a comprehensive manner and helping 
kinship caregivers identify and navigate needed resources to ensure safe and 
healthy living environments for fellow South Carolinians.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on February 12, 2026 at 11:10 AM