South Carolina H 4211: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR ANDREWS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OF GEORGETOWN COUNTY FOR ITS COMMENDABLE STANDARDS IN EDUCATION AND TO CONGRATULATE THE STUDENTS, PARENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATION ON THE SCHOOL'S VARIOUS AWARDS FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4211 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 16, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

 South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

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

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

As Adopted By The Senate

April 16, 2025

H. 4211

Introduced by Reps. Sanders, 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, Dillard, 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, 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 

S. Printed 4/16/25--S.

Read the first time March 26, 2025

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A concurrent RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE THE ESSENTIAL VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF SOUTH CAROLINA NATIVE PLANTS TO THE STATE'S ENVIRONMENT, LANDSCAPE, AGRICULTURE, HISTORY, AND ECONOMY, AND TO ENCOURAGE STATE AGENCIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND PRIVATE LANDOWNERS TO USE NATIVE PLANTS FOR LANDSCAPING, EROSION CONTROL, AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO PROMOTE THE VIABILITY OF MIGRATORY AND NONMIGRATORY POLLINATORS AND TO HELP to PRESERVE SOUTH CAROLINA'S UNIQUE FLORA AND FAUNA.

amend title to conform

Whereas, South Carolina's native plants provide iconic, economic, artistic, historical, and environmental values, unparalleled for beauty and unique to the history of the State and its future; and 

Whereas, native plants are those which occur naturally in the specific regions in which they evolved, including our estuarine and tidal freshwater, maritime strand, freshwater wetlands, river and palustrine forested wetlands, and associated coastal uplands; and 

Whereas, South Carolina contains over four thousand native plant species, subspecies, and varieties, making South Carolina home to a tremendously rich and diverse plant life, and twenty-one of those species are considered to be threatened or endangered; and 

Whereas, maintaining and restoring the native plant habitat in South Carolina is vital to preserving South Carolina's present and future biodiversity amid a changing environment; and 

Whereas, native plants are more drought-tolerant, provide essential food sources for insects, birds, and wildlife, and require less water. They also act as natural pollinators and help filter out fertilizers and chemicals, promoting water conservation and improving the quality of stormwater runoff. Additionally, native plants enhance the resilience of ecosystems in South Carolina; and 

Whereas, native plants provide high-quality food and shelter for more than three hundred resident and migratory bird species in South Carolina, one hundred sixty-one of which are species of greatest conservation need; and 

Whereas, South Carolina currently contends with over ninety invasive and exotic plants, many of which compete with native plant species, degrade soil, facilitate erosion, require more fertilizers and chemicals, provide fewer food sources to native birds and other wildlife, and alter the state's natural landscapes; and 

Whereas, the state's original Native American residents lived and thrived by knowledge of native plants which provided generations with food, clothing, shelter, dyes, tools, medicines, and fuel; and 

Whereas, from the state's earliest time, native flora and fauna have provided a rich landscape, inspiring and influencing notable literary and artistic works by internationally recognized figures and thereby securing South Carolina's legacy in natural heritage; and 

Whereas, South Carolina's native plants and their derivatives have provided essential foods, medicines, and other products of global import since the colonial period, while native plants, such as sweet grass and Carolina yellow jessamine, play an important role in the state's cultural heritage; and 

Whereas, native plant horticulture contributes significantly to the state's economy and employs thousands of South Carolinians, providing a thriving, vital, and ever-expanding industry, who do their part to preserve, protect, and restore precious native habitats by using South Carolina native plants whenever possible for landscaping, ero