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H 5654

Gracie Hicks

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terry Alexander and 119 co-sponsors

The bill formally recognizes Gracie Hicks for her extensive community service and advocacy, highlighting her work on hygiene insecurity and judicial equity.

Introduced and adopted
0
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Bill Summary · H 5654

Bill Summary – H 5654 (Session 2025-2026, South Carolina)

Title: Gracie Hicks

Jurisdiction: South Carolina House of Representatives

Date of Draft: May 4, 2026
Action: Introduced and adopted (May 5, 2026)

Authoring/Support:
- House Sponsor: Hewitt
- Attorney: Hilton
- Drafting Assistant: Newboult
- Multiple co-sponsors from across the House (extensive list)

Note: This document is a House resolution recognizing an individual, Gracie Hicks, for her service and impact.

1) Main Purpose and Intent

  • This bill is a House Resolution recognizing and honoring Gracie Hicks of Murrells Inlet for her extensive service, leadership, and impact on South Carolina communities.
  • The resolution highlights her background as a law student and community advocate, emphasizing her efforts with nonprofit organizations and initiatives aimed at addressing hygiene insecurity, wrongful convictions, and support for vulnerable populations.

2) Key Provisions and Changes

  • Formal recognition: The resolution formally commends Gracie Hicks in the official record of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
  • Summary of achievements highlighted in the resolution:
    • Education and advocacy:
    • Second-year law student at Charleston School of Law; magna cum laude graduate from Wofford College (2023).
    • Founder and leader of Wofford’s Law, Justice and Innocence Initiative; advocacy for innocence initiatives and equity in the judiciary.
    • Hygiene insecurity and charitable work:
    • Founded Helping Hands Heal Families (HHHF) to provide hygiene products to those in need when SNAP benefits do not cover such items.
    • Secured partnerships and support from national sponsors (Walmart, Good360, Bath & Body Works).
    • HHHF has served all 46 South Carolina counties and partnered with Camp Cole’s Camp Impact to assist foster children and homeless youth.
    • Initiatives such as “Feel Clean, Learn Better” provide hygiene supplies to Title I schools to reduce absenteeism and support student dignity.
    • Broader service and outreach:
    • Support for senior wards, domestic violence shelters, food banks, and other charitable organizations.
    • International relief efforts related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in collaboration with Wofford College and Global Empowerment Mission.
    • Personal achievements and public service:
    • Participation in competitive stair climbing and the Empire State Building Run-Up to support charitable causes.
    • Involvement in the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization; local titles including Miss Murrells Inlet; platform focusing on hygiene insecurity and wrongful convictions.

3) Who/What Would Be Affected

  • Gracie Hicks: Official recognition in the state’s legislative record.
  • Gracie Hicks’s advocacy and nonprofit activities: While the resolution does not create new statutory programs or funding, it underscores and publicly acknowledges her ongoing community work and can raise awareness of her initiatives.
  • Organizations mentioned:
    • Helping Hands Heal Families (HHHF)
    • Camp Cole’s Camp Impact
    • Title I schools and the beneficiaries of the “Feel Clean, Learn Better” program
  • General public impact: By recognizing Hicks’s work, the resolution may influence ongoing public awareness of hygiene insecurity, wrongful convictions advocacy, and non-profit collaboration in South Carolina.

4) Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduction and adoption:
    • Introduced to the South Carolina House by Representative Hewitt.
    • Co-sponsors: A broad list of House members from diverse districts.
    • Action history shows: Introduced and adopted on May 5, 2026.
  • Nature of instrument:
    • This is a ceremonial resolution (not a bill that enacts statutes or appropriations).
    • Purpose is to recognize, commend, and present a copy of the resolution to the honoree.

5) Notable Details

  • The resolution portrays Hicks as a multi-faceted leader: legal scholar, disability/human services advocate, and participant in community service and public life.
  • It positions hygiene insecurity as a public policy-relevant issue, though the resolution itself does not impose new requirements or funding.

Bottom Line

H 5654 is a ceremonial House Resolution recognizing Gracie Hicks for her extensive community service, leadership in hygiene insecurity advocacy, and efforts to promote equity within the judicial system. It publicly honors her achievements and presents a formal commendation from the South Carolina House, without creating new statutory obligations or spending.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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