South Carolina H 4735: Insurance and health maintenance groups

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4735 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4735

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

A joint Resolution

TO CREATE THE "TRUANCY ROOT CAUSE INTERVENTION STUDY 
COMMITTEE" TO REVIEW AND RECOMMEND MODIFICATIONS TO CURRENT TRUANCY 
INTERVENTION PROGRAMS TO ENSURE THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF HOME 
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND RELATED CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTING TO INDIVIDUAL 
INSTANCES OF TRUANCY, AND TO REQUIRE THE COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE 
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BEFORE JULY 1, 2027.

Whereas, 
the General Assembly finds that chronic student truancy is closely linked to 
adverse academic, social, and developmental outcomes, including lower academic 
achievement, higher dropout rates, and increased involvement with the juvenile 
justice system; and

Whereas, 
the General Assembly recognizes that truancy often stems from complex, 
individualized circumstances including, but not limited to, unstable home 
environments, unmet physical or mental health needs, transportation barriers, 
caregiving responsibilities, and other social stressors affecting a child's 
ability to attend school regularly; and

Whereas, 
the General Assembly finds that existing truancy intervention programs may not 
sufficiently or consistently investigate household conditions or underlying 
contributing factors in each case, and that improving these programs to better 
assess root causes is necessary to ensure more effective and targeted 
interventions. Now, therefore,

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

SECTION 1. (A) There is created the "Truancy Root Cause 
Intervention Study Committee" to examine the adequacy of current truancy 
intervention programs and determine what modifications are needed to ensure 
that such programs meaningfully identify, investigate, and address 
home-environment-related factors and other underlying circumstances 
contributing to individual instances of student truancy.

 (B) The study 
committee must:

 (1) review all 
existing state-mandated and district-level truancy intervention procedures;

 (2) evaluate 
the extent to which current interventions assess home environmental factors, 
including household stability, caregiving responsibilities, health and safety 
considerations, transportation access, and other relevant conditions, and the 
degree to which school responses address these factors and attempt to mitigate 
their impact in an effort to reduce truancy by the individual student;

 (3) consider 
best practices from other states and national organizations regarding 
individualized truancy assessment models;

 (4) identify 
gaps in current law or policy related to investigating root causes of truancy; 
and

 (5) develop 
recommendations for statutory, regulatory, or programmatic changes necessary to 
improve individualized truancy investigations and intervention effectiveness.

 (C) The study 
committee must be composed of the following, with vacancies to be filled in the 
manner of the original appointment:

 (1) three 
members of the Senate, appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Education 
Committee;

 (2) three 
members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Chairman of the House 
Education and Public Works Committee;

 (3) the State 
Superintendent of Education, or his designee;

 (4) the 
Director of the Department of Social Services, or his designee;

 (5) the 
Director of the Children's Law Center at the University of South Carolina, or 
his designee; and

 (6) two members 
of the general public, appointed by the Governor, who have demonstrated 
interest and expertise in child welfare issues or education.

 (D) The Senate 
Education Committee and the House Education and Public Works Committee shall 
provide appropriate staffing and administrative support for the study 
committee.

 (E) The study 
committee shall submit a written report, including legislative recommendations, 
to the General Assembly on or before July 1, 2027, at which time the study 
committee is dissolved.

SECTION 2. This joint resolution takes effect 
upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:43 PM