Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4668 To promote digital citizenship and media literacy. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 11, 2019 Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. SHERRILL, and Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mex- ico) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 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 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 4668 IH 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 United States can fight these influences 11 by ensuring that citizens of the United States pos- 12 sess the necessary skills to discern disinformation 13 and misinformation and think critically about their 14 digital 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 well- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 4668 IH ness, and democratic decisions associated with public 1 policy. Media literacy education must be inclusive 2 and accessible for all students, including at-risk stu- 3 dents and students with disabilities. Media literacy 4 empowers young people and gives them the agency 5 to make informed decisions about their future, ad- 6 vertisements, the use of controlled substances, nutri- 7 tion, and physical health. Equipping students with 8 the skills to make informed decisions in these areas 9 contributes to the betterment of mental health and 10 public 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 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 4668 IH 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) AT-RISK.—The term ‘‘at-risk’’ has the 9 meaning given the term in section 1432 of the Ele- 10 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 11 U.S.C. 6472). 12 (2) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘child 13 with a disability’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘State 14 educational agency’’, ‘‘specialized instructional sup- 15 port personnel’’, and ‘‘universal design for learning’’ 16 have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 17 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 18 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 19 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 20 ty’’ means— 21 (A) a State educational agency; or 22 (B) a local educational agency. 23 (4) DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP.—The term ‘‘digital 24 citizenship’’ means the ability to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 4668 IH (A) safely, responsibly, and ethically use 1 communication technologies and digital infor- 2 mation technology tools and platforms; 3 (B) create and share media content using 4 principles of social and civic responsibility and 5 with awareness of the legal and ethical issues 6 involved; and 7 (C) participate in the political, economic, 8 social, and cultural aspects of life related to 9 technology, communications, and the digital 10 world by consuming and creating digital con- 11 tent, including media. 12 (5) MEDIA LITERACY.—The term ‘‘media lit- 13 eracy’’ means the ability to— 14 (A) access relevant and accurate informa- 15 tion through media in a variety of forms; 16 (B) critically analyze media content and 17 the influences of different forms of media; 18 (C) evaluate the comprehensiveness, rel- 19 evance, credibility, authority, and accuracy of 20 information; 21 (D) make educated decisions based on in- 22 formation obtained from media and digital 23 sources; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 4668 IH (E) operate various forms of technology 1 and digital tools; and 2 (F) reflect on how the use of media and 3 technology may affect private and public life. 4 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 5 the Secretary of Education. 6 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 7 program to promote media literacy, through which the 8 Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to enable 9 those eligible entities to carry out the activities described 10 in this subsection (d). 11 (c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires a 12 grant under this section shall submit an application to the 13 Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Sec- 14 retary may require, including, at a minimum— 15 (1) a description of the activities the eligible en- 16 tity intends to carry out with the grant funds; 17 (2) an estimate of the costs associated with 18 such activities; and 19 (3) such other information and assurances as 20 the Secretary may require. 21 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 22 (1) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 23 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 24 is a State educational agency receiving a grant 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 4668 IH under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 1 out one or more of the following activities: 2 (i) Creating and supporting a media 3 literacy advisory council to— 4 (I) provide recommendations 5 about digital citizenship and media lit- 6 eracy guidelines; 7 (II) identify barriers and oppor- 8 tunities for implementing media lit- 9 eracy in kindergarten through grade 10 12 in public schools in the State for 11 all students, including students who 12 are children with disabilities; 13 (III) identify best practices and 14 effective models for media literacy ed- 15 ucation, including incorporating uni- 16 versal design for learning and pro- 17 viding additional accommodations for 18 students who are children with dis- 19 abilities when needed; 20 (IV) identify existing models of 21 curriculum and existing policies in dif- 22 ferent States that are aimed at over- 23 coming the barriers identified in sub- 24 clause (II); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 4668 IH (V) gather data or conduct re- 1 search to assess the media literacy 2 and digital citizenship competencies of 3 students, teachers, or specialized in- 4 structional support personnel; 5 (VI) submit a report to the State 6 educational agency containing findings 7 and recommendations regarding the 8 items identified under this clause; and 9 (VII) annually update those find- 10 ings and recommendations. 11 (ii) Assisting local educational agen- 12 cies in the development of units of instruc- 13 tion on media literacy, either as a new sub- 14 ject or as a part of the existing curriculum. 15 (iii) Assisting local agencies in devel- 16 oping means of evaluating student learning 17 in media literacy. 18 (iv) Assisting local agencies in devel- 19 oping or providing professional develop- 20 ment for teachers that relates to media lit- 21 eracy. 22 (B) MEDIA LITERACY ADVISORY COUN- 23 CIL.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 4668 IH (i) MEMBERS.—The Media Literacy 1 Advisory Council described in subpara- 2 graph (A)(i) shall include experts in media 3 literacy, including academic experts, indi- 4 viduals from nonprofit organizations, indi- 5 viduals with expertise in education for stu- 6 dents who are children with disabilities, 7 teachers, librarians, representatives from 8 parent organizations, educators, adminis- 9 trators, students, and other stakeholders. 10 (ii) DIVERSITY OF REPRESENTA- 11 TION.—Such membership shall include rep- 12 resentation from rural and urban local 13 educational agencies, small and large 14 schools, high- and low-resource schools, 15 teachers of at-risk students and children 16 with disabilities, and schools in commu- 17 nities from diverse racial and ethnic back- 18 grounds. 19 (C) GUIDELINES.— 20 (i) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 21 agency that creates a media literacy advi- 22 sory council under subparagraph (A)(i) 23 shall, only after consideration of the find- 24 ings and recommendations described in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 4668 IH subparagraph (A)(i)(I) and (VI), develop 1 and publish on the State educational agen- 2 cy website inclusive digital citizenship and 3 media literacy guidelines for students in 4 kindergarten through grade 12 in public 5 schools in the State. 6 (ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The guidelines 7 described in clause (i) shall be designed to 8 develop media literacy and digital citizen- 9 ship competencies by promoting stu- 10 dents’— 11 (I) research and information flu- 12 ency; 13 (II) critical thinking and problem 14 solving skills; 15 (III) technology operations and 16 concepts; 17 (IV) information and techno- 18 logical literacy; 19 (V) concepts of media representa- 20 tion and stereotyping; 21 (VI) understanding of explicit 22 and implicit media messages; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 4668 IH (VII) understanding of values 1 and points of view that are included 2 and excluded in media content; 3 (VIII) understanding of how 4 media may influence ideas and behav- 5 iors; 6 (IX) understanding of the impor- 7 tance of obtaining information from 8 multiple media sources and evaluating 9 sources for quality; 10 (X) understanding how informa- 11 tion on digital platforms can be al- 12 tered through algorithms, editing, and 13 augmented reality; and 14 (XI) ability to create media in 15 civically and socially responsible ways. 16 (2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.—An eligi- 17 ble entity that is a local educational agency receiving 18 a grant under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 19 out one or more of the following activities: 20 (A) Incorporating digital citizenship and 21 media literacy into the existing curriculum 22 (across content and disciplinary areas) or estab- 23 lishing new educational opportunities to learn 24 about media literacy. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 4668 IH (B) Employing specialized instructional 1 support personnel, such as a librarian or other 2 personnel who can provide instructional services 3 in media literacy. 4 (C) Providing funding to educators who 5 are carrying out activities described in subpara- 6 graph (A) to further their professional develop- 7 ment in relation to media literacy, including 8 funding for traveling to media literacy con- 9 ferences to share knowledge with regional and 10 national stakeholders. 11 (D) Other activities, including student led 12 efforts, to support, develop, or promote the im- 13 plementation of media literacy education pro- 14 grams, policies, teacher preparation, cur- 15 riculum, or standards. 16 (e) REPORTING.— 17 (1) REPORTS BY ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Not 18 later than 1 year after the date the eligible entity re- 19 ceives grant funds under this Act, each eligible enti- 20 ty shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a re- 21 port describing the activities the eligible entity car- 22 ried out using grant funds and the effectiveness of 23 those activities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Oct 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4668.IH H4668 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 13 •HR 4668 IH (2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 1 than 90 days after the Secretary receives the report 2 described in paragraph (1) from the last eligible en- 3 tity to submit such a report, the Secretary shall pre- 4 pare and submit a report to Congress describing the 5 activities carried out under this Act and the effec- 6 tiveness of those activities. 7 SEC. 4. FEDERAL ADVISORY COUNCIL. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 9 Federal Advisory Council to assist the Secretary in evalu- 10 ating [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]