Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2240 To promote digital citizenship and media literacy. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 23, 2019 Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. BENNET, Ms. SMITH, and Mr. PETERS) in- troduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To promote digital citizenship and media literacy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Digital Citizenship and 4 Media Literacy Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) People in the United States rely on infor- 8 mation from mass media, social media, and digital 9 media to make decisions about all aspects of social, 10 economic, and political life, including products and 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 2240 IS services consumption, employment, career and pro- 1 fessional development, family and leisure choices, 2 health and wellness, and democratic engagement. 3 Ensuring that people in the United States possess 4 the skills to make these informed decisions based on 5 media begins early in life. 6 (2) Adversaries from Russia, China, and Iran 7 are using information warfare to influence democ- 8 racies across the world, and terrorist organizations 9 often use digital communications to recruit mem- 10 bers. The Unites States can fight these influences by 11 ensuring that citizens of the United States possess 12 the necessary skills to discern disinformation and 13 misinformation and think critically about their dig- 14 ital activities. 15 (3) Influence campaigns by foreign and domes- 16 tic groups reached tens of millions of voters during 17 the 2016 and 2018 elections with racially and divi- 18 sively targeted messages. The preservation of elec- 19 tions free of foreign influence is of utmost impor- 20 tance, and therefore Congress must take steps to 21 counter influence campaigns with media literacy. 22 (4) Media literacy education is critical to allow 23 young people to make informed decisions about 24 products and services, education, health and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 2240 IS wellness, and democratic decisions associated with 1 public policy. Media literacy education must be in- 2 clusive and accessible for all students, including stu- 3 dents with disabilities. Media literacy empowers 4 young people and gives them the agency to make in- 5 formed decisions about their future, advertisements, 6 the use of controlled substances, nutrition, and phys- 7 ical health. Equipping students with the skills to 8 make informed decisions in these areas contributes 9 to the betterment of mental health and public 10 health. 11 (5) A successful and inclusive media literacy 12 program must be directed at students beginning in 13 kindergarten and should continue throughout the 14 completion of postsecondary education. Learning to 15 critically analyze and create media is a lifelong proc- 16 ess that can be developed by integrating media lit- 17 eracy competencies into academic curriculum across 18 content areas and disciplines. 19 (6) Media literacy also allows young people to 20 develop the critical thinking skills that will help 21 them become informed voters. The right to vote is 22 a fundamental right afforded to United States citi- 23 zens by the Constitution. The unimpeded free exer- 24 cise of this right is essential to the functioning of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 2240 IS our democracy. The process to protect our democ- 1 racy begins with educating young people in the 2 United States to ensure that the young people pos- 3 sess the skills to engage in civic activities, engage 4 with communities, and eventually become informed 5 voters. 6 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. 7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 8 (1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘child with 9 a disability’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘State edu- 10 cational agency’’, ‘‘specialized instructional support 11 personnel’’, and ‘‘universal design for learning’’ have 12 the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of 13 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 14 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 15 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 16 ty’’ means— 17 (A) a State educational agency; or 18 (B) a local educational agency. 19 (3) DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP.—The term ‘‘digital 20 citizenship’’ means the ability to— 21 (A) safely, responsibly, and ethically use 22 communication technologies and digital infor- 23 mation technology tools and platforms; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 2240 IS (B) create and share media content using 1 principles of social and civic responsibility and 2 with awareness of the legal and ethical issues 3 involved; and 4 (C) participate in the political, economic, 5 social, and cultural aspects of life related to 6 technology, communications, and the digital 7 world by consuming and creating digital con- 8 tent, including media. 9 (4) MEDIA LITERACY.—The term ‘‘media lit- 10 eracy’’ means the ability to— 11 (A) access relevant and accurate informa- 12 tion through media in a variety of forms; 13 (B) critically analyze media content and 14 the influences of different forms of media; 15 (C) evaluate the comprehensiveness, rel- 16 evance, credibility, authority, and accuracy of 17 information; 18 (D) make educated decisions based on in- 19 formation obtained from media and digital 20 sources; 21 (E) operate various forms of technology 22 and digital tools; and 23 (F) reflect on how the use of media and 24 technology may affect private and public life. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 2240 IS (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Education. 2 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 3 program to promote media literacy, through which the 4 Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to enable 5 those eligible entities to carry out the activities described 6 in this subsection (d). 7 (c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires a 8 grant under this section shall submit an application to the 9 Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Sec- 10 retary may require, including, at a minimum— 11 (1) a description of the activities the eligible en- 12 tity intends to carry out with the grant funds; 13 (2) an estimate of the costs associated with 14 such activities; and 15 (3) such other information and assurances as 16 the Secretary may require. 17 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 18 (1) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 19 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 20 is a State educational agency receiving a grant 21 under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 22 out one or more of the following activities: 23 (i) Creating and supporting a media 24 literacy advisory council to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 2240 IS (I) provide recommendations 1 about digital citizenship and media lit- 2 eracy guidelines; 3 (II) identify barriers and oppor- 4 tunities for implementing media lit- 5 eracy in kindergarten through grade 6 12 in public schools in the State for 7 all students, including students who 8 are children with disabilities; 9 (III) identify best practices and 10 effective models for media literacy 11 education, including incorporating 12 universal design for learning and pro- 13 viding additional accommodations for 14 students who are children with dis- 15 abilities when needed; 16 (IV) identify existing models of 17 curriculum and existing policies in dif- 18 ferent States that are aimed at over- 19 coming the barriers identified in sub- 20 clause (II); 21 (V) gather data or conduct re- 22 search to assess the media literacy 23 and digital citizenship competencies of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 2240 IS students, teachers, or specialized in- 1 structional support personnel; 2 (VI) submit a report to the State 3 educational agency containing findings 4 and recommendations regarding the 5 items identified under this clause; and 6 (VII) annually update those find- 7 ings and recommendations. 8 (ii) Assisting local educational agen- 9 cies in the development of units of instruc- 10 tion on media literacy, either as a new sub- 11 ject or as a part of the existing curriculum. 12 (iii) Assisting local agencies in devel- 13 oping means of evaluating student learning 14 in media literacy. 15 (iv) Assisting local agencies in devel- 16 oping or providing professional develop- 17 ment for teachers that relates to media lit- 18 eracy. 19 (B) MEDIA LITERACY ADVISORY COUN- 20 CIL.— 21 (i) MEMBERS.—The media literacy 22 advisory council described in subparagraph 23 (A)(i) shall include experts in media lit- 24 eracy, including academic experts, individ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 2240 IS uals from nonprofit organizations, individ- 1 uals with expertise in education for stu- 2 dents who are children with disabilities, 3 teachers, librarians, representatives from 4 parent organizations, educators, adminis- 5 trators, students, and other stakeholders. 6 (ii) DIVERSITY OF REPRESENTA- 7 TION.—Such membership shall include rep- 8 resentation from rural and urban local 9 educational agencies, small and large 10 schools, high- and low-resource schools, 11 teachers of students with disabilities, and 12 schools in communities from diverse racial 13 and ethnic backgrounds. 14 (C) GUIDELINES.— 15 (i) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 16 agency that creates a media literacy advi- 17 sory council under subparagraph (A)(i) 18 shall, only after consideration of the find- 19 ings and recommendations described in 20 subparagraph (A)(i)(I) and (VI), develop 21 and publish on the State educational agen- 22 cy website inclusive digital citizenship and 23 media literacy guidelines for students in 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 2240 IS kindergarten through grade 12 in public 1 schools in the State. 2 (ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The guidelines 3 described in clause (i) shall be designed to 4 develop media literacy and digital citizen- 5 ship competencies by promoting stu- 6 dents’— 7 (I) research and information flu- 8 ency; 9 (II) critical thinking and problem 10 solving skills; 11 (III) technology operations and 12 concepts; 13 (IV) information and techno- 14 logical literacy; 15 (V) concepts of media representa- 16 tion and stereotyping; 17 (VI) understanding of explicit 18 and implicit media messages; 19 (VII) understanding of values 20 and points of view that are included 21 and excluded in media content; 22 (VIII) understanding of how 23 media may influence ideas and behav- 24 iors; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 2240 IS (IX) understanding of the impor- 1 tance of obtaining information from 2 multiple media sources and evaluating 3 sources for quality; 4 (X) understanding how informa- 5 tion on digital platforms can be al- 6 tered through algorithms, editing, and 7 augmented reality; and 8 (XI) ability to create media in 9 civically and socially responsible ways. 10 (2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.—An eligi- 11 ble entity that is a local educational agency receiving 12 a grant under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 13 out one or more of the following activities: 14 (A) Incorporating digital citizenship and 15 media literacy into the existing curriculum 16 (across content and disciplinary areas) or estab- 17 lishing new educational opportunities to learn 18 about media literacy. 19 (B) Employing specialized instructional 20 support personnel, such as a librarian or other 21 personnel who can provide instructional services 22 in media literacy. 23 (C) Providing funding to educators who 24 are carrying out activities described in subpara- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 2240 IS graph (A) to further their professional develop- 1 ment in relation to media literacy, including 2 funding for traveling to media literacy con- 3 ferences to share knowledge with regional and 4 national stakeholders. 5 (D) Other activities, including student led 6 efforts, to support, develop, or promote the im- 7 plementation of media literacy education pro- 8 grams, policies, teacher preparation, cur- 9 riculum, or standards. 10 (e) REPORTING.— 11 (1) REPORTS BY ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Not 12 later than 1 year after the date the eligible entity re- 13 ceives grant funds under this Act, each eligible enti- 14 ty shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a re- 15 port describing the activities the eligible entity car- 16 ried out using grant funds and the effectiveness of 17 those activities. 18 (2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 19 than 90 days after the Secretary receives the report 20 described in paragraph (1) from the last eligible en- 21 tity to submit such a report, the Secretary shall pre- 22 pare and submit a report to Congress describing the 23 activities carried out under this Act and the effec- 24 tiveness of those activities. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:55 Jul 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2240.IS S2240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 13 •S 2240 IS SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 1 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary should 2 establish and maintain a list of eligible entities that receive 3 a grant under this Act, and individuals designated by 4 those eligible entities as participating individuals. The 5 Secretary should make that list available to those eligible 6 entities and participating individuals in order to promote 7 communicatio [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]