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Committee approves $750,000 PRAISE SAFE grant program for religious‑facility security
Summary
HB4145 would create the PRAISE SAFE grant program, a $750,000 fund with individual awards up to $5,000 for eligible religious organizations to make security enhancements. The program will be administered through the Department of Public Safety; committee adopted a technical definition amendment and reported the bill favorably.
A House committee on Thursday approved legislation to establish a state grant program aimed at improving security at houses of worship and other religious facilities.
Representative Bernstein, sponsor of H.4145, said the bill creates the South Carolina PRAISE SAFE grant program with a total appropriation cap of $750,000 and grants of up to $5,000 per eligible religious organization, which she said could support roughly 150 organizations annually. The bill was revised in subcommittee to administer the program through the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the Public Safety Coordinating Council rather than through SLED, which told the subcommittee it lacked capacity to administer such grants.
Representative Martin offered an amendment adopting an existing statutory definition of "religious organization" (SC Code §1‑33‑10) to avoid drafting conflicts; the committee adopted the Martin amendment and then reported H.4145 favorably, 21‑0‑4.
Why it matters: The program provides targeted, relatively small grants to help religious organizations address concrete safety needs, such as door and access upgrades, alarm systems or other mitigations identified by applicants. The bill includes a risk‑based eligibility standard so funds are directed to organizations demonstrating a security need.
Next steps: H.4145 will go to the House floor as amended.
