Brain Injury Awareness Month

2025-2026 Bill 5077: Brain Injury Awareness Month - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 5077
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Davis, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, 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, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G.M. Smith, M.M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow
Document Path: LC-0416VR-GM26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 3, 2026
Adopted by the House on February 3, 2026
Summary: Brain Injury Awareness Month
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/3/2026

House

Introduced and adopted (
House Journal-page 8
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/03/2026

A
house
RESOLUTION

to declare March 2026 as "Brain Injury Awareness
Month" in South Carolina in order to support brain injury survivors and their
families, to increase the public's awareness of the prevalence of brain injury
in the State and nation, and to recognize the importance of prevention and
treatment of brain injuries.

W
hereas, acquired brain
injury is often overlooked and underfunded and affects thousands of South
Carolinians each year; and

W
hereas, a history of
brain injuries and head trauma has been linked to the development of
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, stroke, and Alzheimer's; and

W
hereas, the elderly
and children are the most likely to sustain traumatic brain injury; and

W
hereas, falls are a
leading cause of brain-related injuries in South Carolina. They can also be the
result of motor vehicle crashes, assaults, sports-related injuries,
occupational-related injuries, opioid overdoses, and intimate partner violence;
and

W
hereas, more than 1.2
million South Carolinians experience brain injury from trauma or stroke, and
more than 209,000 South Carolinians are disabled from those events; and

W
hereas, at least sixty-four
million adults report having experienced one or more traumatic brain injuries
in their lifetime; and

W
hereas, traumatic
brain injury has been classified as a chronic condition by the Center for
Medicaid and Medicare Services; and

W
hereas, South Carolina
has approximately 386,000 veterans. Traumatic brain injury has been a signature
injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Treatment is often complicated by
high rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and suicide which present more challenges
for members of the military and their families; and

W
hereas, as many as fifty
percent of brain injuries go unreported and untreated because of a lack of
education, awareness, and recognition of the effects of brain injury. Survivors
and their families can struggle to secure proper medical treatment, services,
and care, despite the often-lifelong effects of brain injuries; and

W
hereas, it is
estimated that the cost of traumatic brain injuries in the United States weighs
in at $48.3 billion annually; and

W
hereas, a brain injury
from trauma or stroke that happens in an instant can cause a lifetime of
physical, cognitive, and behavioral challenges; and

W
hereas, early and
specialized intervention, especially physical and cognitive rehabilitation, can
greatly increase the quality of life and enable individuals with brain injuries
to return to their homes, schools, work, or communities. Now, therefore,

B
e it resolved by the
House of Representatives
:

T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
House of Representatives
,
by this resolution, declare March 2026 as "Brain Injury Awareness Month" in
South Carolina in order to support brain injury survivors and their families,
to increase the public's awareness of the prevalence of brain injury in the
State and nation, and to recognize the importance of prevention and treatment
of brain injuries.

B
e it further resolved
that a copy of this resolution be presented to the Brain Injury Association of
South Carolina.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on February 3, 2026 at 2:49 PM