Young Americans Financial Literacy Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7953 To establish a grant program in the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to fund the establishment of centers of excellence to support research, development and planning, implementation, and evaluation of effective programs in financial literacy education for young people and families ages 8 through 24 years old, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST 7, 2020 Mr. CARSON of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with- in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To establish a grant program in the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to fund the establishment of centers of excellence to support research, development and plan- ning, implementation, and evaluation of effective pro- grams in financial literacy education for young people and families ages 8 through 24 years old, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7953 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young Americans Fi- 2 nancial Literacy Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 The Congress finds as follows: 5 (1) That 88 percent of Americans believe fi- 6 nance education should be taught in schools and 92 7 percent of K–12 teachers believe that financial edu- 8 cation should be taught in school, but only 12 per- 9 cent of teachers actually teach the subject. 10 (2) According to a 2020 survey, less than half 11 of states require high school students to take a 12 course on personal finance, and less than 17 percent 13 of high schoolers were required to take a one semes- 14 ter personal finance course. 15 (3) For the fourth year in a row, more than one 16 third of surveyed consumers gave themselves a ‘‘B’’ 17 when grading their own level of basic financial lit- 18 eracy. Less than one-fifth of Americans gave them- 19 selves an ‘‘A’’. Most adults feel that their financial 20 literacy skills are inadequate, yet they do not rely on 21 anyone else to handle their finances; they feel it is 22 important to know more but have received no finan- 23 cial education. 24 (4) The sudden disruptions caused by the 25 spread of COVID–19 are presenting economic chal- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7953 IH lenges with growing consequences. While some fac- 1 tors affecting financial well-being are beyond indi- 2 vidual control, financial literacy can help people bet- 3 ter manage their finances through times of hardship. 4 (5) It is necessary to respond immediately to 5 the pressing needs of individuals faced with the loss 6 of their financial stability; however increased atten- 7 tion must also be paid to financial literacy education 8 reform and long-term solutions to prevent future 9 personal financial disasters. 10 (6) There is an urgent need to respond to the 11 COVID–19 economic recovery with research-based 12 financial literacy education programs to reach indi- 13 viduals at all ages and socioeconomic levels, particu- 14 larly those facing unique and challenging financial 15 situations, such as high school graduates entering 16 the workforce, soon-to-be and recent college grad- 17 uates, young families, and the unique needs of mili- 18 tary personnel and their families. 19 (7) High school and college students who are 20 exposed to cumulative financial education show an 21 increase in financial knowledge, which in turn drives 22 increasingly responsible behavior as they become 23 young adults. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7953 IH (8) The majority (52 percent) of young adults 1 between the ages of 23–28 consider ‘‘making better 2 choices about managing money’’, the single most im- 3 portant issue for individual Americans to act on 4 today. 5 (9) According to the Government Accountability 6 Office, giving Americans the information they need 7 to make effective financial decisions can be key to 8 their well-being and to the country’s economic 9 health. The current pandemic, in which 88 percent 10 of Americans say is causing stress on their personal 11 finances, underscores the need to improve individ- 12 uals’ financial literacy and empower all Americans to 13 make informed financial decisions. This is especially 14 true for young people as they are earning their first 15 paychecks, securing student aid, and establishing 16 their financial independence. Therefore, focusing 17 economic education and financial literacy efforts and 18 best practices for young people between the ages of 19 8–24 is of utmost importance. 20 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR FUNDING THE ESTABLISH- 21 MENT OF CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN FI- 22 NANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION. 23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Consumer Financial Protec- 24 tion Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481 et seq.) is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7953 IH (1) by redesignating section 1037 as section 1 1038; and 2 (2) by inserting after section 1036 the fol- 3 lowing: 4 ‘‘SEC. 1037. AUTHORIZATION FOR FUNDING THE ESTAB- 5 LISHMENT OF CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN 6 FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION. 7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau, in 8 consultation with the Financial Literacy and Education 9 Commission established under the Financial Literacy and 10 Education Improvement Act, shall make competitive 11 grants to and enter into agreements with eligible institu- 12 tions to establish centers of excellence to support research, 13 development and planning, implementation, and evalua- 14 tion of effective programs in financial literacy education 15 for young people and families ages 8 through 24 years 16 old. 17 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Activities author- 18 ized to be funded by grants made under subsection (a) 19 shall include the following: 20 ‘‘(1) Developing and implementing comprehen- 21 sive research based financial literacy education pro- 22 grams for young people— 23 ‘‘(A) based on a set of core competencies 24 and concepts established by the Director, in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7953 IH cluding goal setting, planning, budgeting, man- 1 aging money or transactions, tools and struc- 2 tures, behaviors, consequences, both long- and 3 short-term savings, managing debt and earn- 4 ings; and 5 ‘‘(B) which can be incorporated into edu- 6 cational settings through existing academic con- 7 tent areas, including materials that appro- 8 priately serve various segments of at-risk popu- 9 lations, particularly minority and disadvantaged 10 individuals. 11 ‘‘(2) Designing instructional materials using 12 evidence-based content for young families and con- 13 ducting related outreach activities to address unique 14 life situations and financial pitfalls, including bank- 15 ruptcy, foreclosure, credit card misuse, and preda- 16 tory lending. 17 ‘‘(3) Developing and supporting the delivery of 18 professional development programs in financial lit- 19 eracy education to assure competence and account- 20 ability in the delivery system. 21 ‘‘(4) Improving access to, and dissemination of, 22 financial literacy information for young people and 23 families. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7953 IH ‘‘(5) Reducing student loan default rates by de- 1 veloping programs to help individuals better under- 2 stand how to manage educational debt through sus- 3 tained educational programs for college students. 4 ‘‘(6) Conducting ongoing research and evalua- 5 tion of financial literacy education programs to as- 6 sure learning of defined skills and knowledge, and 7 retention of learning. 8 ‘‘(7) Developing research-based assessment and 9 accountability of the appropriate applications of 10 learning over short and long terms to measure effec- 11 tiveness of authorized activities. 12 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.—The 13 Director shall give a priority to applications that— 14 ‘‘(1) provide clear definitions of ‘financial lit- 15 eracy’ and ‘financially literate’ to clarify educational 16 outcomes; 17 ‘‘(2) establish parameters for identifying the 18 types of programs that most effectively reach young 19 people and families in unique life situations and fi- 20 nancial pitfalls, including bankruptcy, foreclosure, 21 credit card misuse, and predatory lending; 22 ‘‘(3) include content that is appropriate to age 23 and socioeconomic levels; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 7953 IH ‘‘(4) develop programs based on educational 1 standards, definitions, and research; 2 ‘‘(5) include individual goals of financial inde- 3 pendence and stability; 4 ‘‘(6) establish professional development and de- 5 livery systems using evidence-based practices; 6 ‘‘(7) address the needs of one or more at-risk 7 populations; 8 ‘‘(8) incorporate sensitivities to specific cul- 9 tural, linguistic, or demographic characteristics; 10 ‘‘(9) enhance opportunities for asset building, 11 such as increasing savings for lower income house- 12 holds and investments into the stock, bond, and real 13 estate markets; 14 ‘‘(10) include an evaluation component to en- 15 sure the work’s effectiveness in increasing financial 16 literacy or consumer access to appropriate financial 17 products or services, or that the provider has evi- 18 dence of such effectiveness; 19 ‘‘(11) promise future replication or can be sus- 20 tained beyond the program period; and 21 ‘‘(12) will make effectiveness data (if any) that 22 is generated from the work available to others in the 23 financial education community. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 7953 IH ‘‘(d) APPLICATION AND EVALUATION STANDARDS 1 AND PROCEDURES; DISTRIBUTION CRITERIA.—The Di- 2 rector shall establish application and evaluation standards 3 and procedures, distribution criteria, and such other 4 forms, standards, definitions, and procedures as the Direc- 5 tor determines to be appropriate. 6 ‘‘(e) CONTENT DELIVERY.—An eligible institution re- 7 ceiving a grant under this section shall— 8 ‘‘(1) ensure that content is delivered in an ac- 9 cessible way to young people, through traditional 10 educational methods and digital methods, including 11 over appropriate social media platforms; and 12 ‘‘(2) to the extent content is delivered through 13 a website, ensure that the website is user friendly, 14 visually appealing, and doesn’t bombard users with 15 dense content that is difficult to comprehend. 16 ‘‘(f) GRANT AMOUNTS.— 17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The aggregate amount of 18 grants made under this section during any fiscal 19 year— 20 ‘‘(A) shall be at least $27,500,000; and 21 ‘‘(B) may not exceed $55,000,000. 22 ‘‘(2) TERMINATION.—No grants may be made 23 under this section after the end of fiscal year 2025. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 7953 IH ‘‘(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director shall 1 issue an annual report to Congress containing— 2 ‘‘(1) a list of grant recipients under this sec- 3 tion, including the amount of such grant; and 4 ‘‘(2) for each grant recipient, a description of 5 the specific populations being served by such grant. 6 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section the 7 following definitions shall apply: 8 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi- 9 ble institution’ means a partnership of two or more 10 of the following: 11 ‘‘(A) An institution of higher education. 12 ‘‘(B) A State or local government agency 13 which specializes in financial education pro- 14 grams. 15 ‘‘(C) A nonprofit agency, organization, or 16 association. 17 ‘‘(D) A financial institution. 18 ‘‘(E) A small organization that is 19 partnering with, but is not itself, a person de- 20 scribed under subparagraph (A) through (D). 21 ‘‘(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 22 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 23 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High- 24 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 7953 IH (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 1 under section 1(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform 2 and Consumer Protection Act is amended by striking the 3 item relating to section 1037 and inserting the following: 4 ‘‘Sec. 1037. Authorization for funding the establishment of centers of excellence in financial literacy education. ‘‘Sec. 1038. Effective date.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:46 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7953.IH H7953 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS