H 4954

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 4954
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
A concurrent RESOLUTION
to request the Department of Transportation place
appropriate signs containing the words "988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline" on
each of the State's highway overpasses to inform the traveling public of this
resource.
Whereas, the 988
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support
to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week, across the United States and its territories. The 988 Lifeline is
comprised of a national network of over two hundred local crisis centers,
combining local care and resources with national standards and best practices;
and
Whereas, the 988
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline) is a leader in suicide prevention
and mental health crisis care. The history of and transition from the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline follows;
and
Whereas, in 2024, the
988 Lifeline celebrated its second anniversary in July and the inaugural 988
Day on September 8th. Georouting of voice calls was launched on September seventeenth,
which allows cellular phone calls to 988 to be routed to a local crisis center
based on the caller's approximate location rather than area code. This provides
help seekers with faster, more localized support, ensuring they receive care
when, where, and how they need it most. On October 18, 2024, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules requiring georouting for all
wireless calls to 988 (applies to all wireless carriers). Similar to voice, in
November 2024, the FCC began the rulemaking process for georouting for text
messaging; and
Whereas, since its
launch in July 2022, the 988 Lifeline has answered over thirteen million calls,
texts, and chats from people in need of support across the U.S. and its
territories; and
Whereas, the 988
Lifeline has been independently evaluated since its inception by an
investigation team from Columbia University's Research Foundation for Mental
Hygiene. Studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, depressed,
overwhelmed, and more hopeful after connecting with a 988 Lifeline counselor.
The 988 Lifeline receives ongoing consultation and guidance from national and
international researchers and experts focused on suicide prevention and crisis
response; and
Whereas, it is
imperative that the traveling public be made aware of the 988 Suicide &
Crisis Lifeline by the placement of appropriate signs along the state's highway
overpasses to inform the traveling public of this resource. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House
of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the
South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, request the Department of
Transportation place appropriate "988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline" signs on
each of the state's highway overpasses.
Be it further resolved that
a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.
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This web page was last updated on January 15, 2026 at 11:28 AM