H 5195 Session 112 (1997-1998)
H 5195 Resolution, By Govan, Askins, Bailey, Bowers, Breeland, G. Brown,
J. Brown, T. Brown, A.W. Byrd, Canty, Carnell, Cave, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter,
Emory, Gourdine, Harris, J. Hines, M. Hines, Howard, Inabinett, Kennedy,
Klauber, Lee, Limehouse, Lloyd, Mack, Maddox, Martin, McGee, W. McLeod,
McMahand, Miller, Moody-Lawrence, Neilson, Pinckney, Rhoad, Scott, Spearman,
Stille, E.C. Stoddard, Stuart, Whipper and W.J. Young
A HOUSE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SCHOOL READINESS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS AND TO
REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
05/27/98 House Introduced HJ-73
05/27/98 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public
Works HJ-74
A HOUSE RESOLUTION
ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY EARLY
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SCHOOL
READINESS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS AND TO REPORT ITS
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
Whereas, twenty-six percent of children in South Carolina live in
poverty; and
Whereas, more than seventy-one percent of preschool children have
working mothers; and
Whereas, families in poverty spend eighteen percent of their income
on child care; and
Whereas, over twenty-four percent of children in South Carolina
were not ready for first grade in the 1996-1997 school year and over
six thousand five hundred children failed grades 1-3; and
Whereas, the formative years of a child's life, between birth and five
years of age, are critical to a child's development and the success of
his future; and
Whereas, it is in the best interests of the State and the citizens of the
State to take an active role in helping to improve the early childhood
development of all children, to prepare these children to the greatest
extent possible to enter first grade, and to assist in developing a
strong foundation for continued success in school. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That there is established a task force to study early childhood
development and its impact on school readiness and success in
school. The task force shall consist of:
(1) three members of the House Judiciary Committee;
(2) three members of the House Education and Public Works
Committee;
(3) three members of the House Medical, Military, Public and
Municipal Affairs Committee;
(4) three members of the House Ways and Means Committee;
(5) one parent, whose child is in daycare, to be appointed by the
Speaker of the House;
(6) the commissioner of the Department of Health and
Environmental Control or a designee;
(7) the executive director of the Health and Human Services
Finance Commission or a designee;
(8) the executive director of the State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education or his designee;
(9) the commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Social
Services or his designee;
(10) a member of Success by Six to be appointed by the president
of that association;
(11) a member of the Early Childhood Education Association to be
appointed by the president of that association;
(12) the State Superintendent of Education or a designee;
(13) a member of the South Carolina Hospital Association to be
appointed by the president of that association;
(14) a member of the South Carolina Medical Association to be
appointed by the president of that association;
(15) two persons from the private sector to be appointed by the
chairperson of the task force;
(16) a member of the Urban League to be appointed by the
president of the Urban League;
(17) a member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Civil
Liberties Union to be appointed by the chapter president;
(18) a member of a local ministerial outreach organization in South
Carolina to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(19) a member of the United Way of South Carolina to be
appointed by the president of the United Way of South Carolina;
(20) a member of the Alliance for South Carolina's Children to be
appointed by the president of the Alliance for South Carolina's
Children; and
(21) such other members as the chairperson and task force members
consider necessary to carry out the responsibilities and duties of the
task force.
Only members of the task force designated in items (1) through (4)
are voting members; the remainder are nonvoting members.
Staff to assist the task force shall be provided by the House
Judiciary Committee, House Education and Public Works
Committee, and the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal
Affairs Committee, as assigned by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
The task force shall meet as often and in such locations in the State
as the chairperson or a majority of the voting members of the task
force shall designate. At the direction of the chairperson, the task
force may be divided into subcommittees for the purposes of meeting
and carrying out the responsibilities of the task force.
The task force shall study all aspects of early childhood
development and its impact on school readiness and success in school
including:
(1) quality prenatal care and nutrition;
(2) health screenings;
(3) quality day care; and
(4) parent involvement and education.
The task force shall submit a written report to the House of
Representatives containing its findings and recommendations for
improving and enhancing early childhood development. Upon
submitting the report, the task force is abolished.
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