UPDATE: the 2023 Financial Education Bill Tracker from Next Gen Personal Finance provides daily updates on which state legislatures have introduced financial education bills for grades K-12 throughout 2023.

Here's the activity over the last week:

• Colorado's HB1200 "concerning financial literacy standards for public schools, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation" was amended to add an appropriation of $4,888 and was read for a third time in the House. 
• Rhode Island
  • HB5073 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SECURING THE FINANCIAL FUTURE FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT (Provides that the council on elementary and secondary education be encouraged to maintain, publish and update statewide standards for instruction of personal finance in public high schools.) was referred to Senate Education Committee. 
  • HB5491 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FINANCIAL LITERACY (Requires the council on elementary and secondary education, in consultation with the Rhode Island department of education, to develop and approve statewide academic standards for the instruction of consumer education in public high schools is scheduled for consideration in the House on 4/28/21. 

• Hawaii

  • Hawaii SB1004's summary is "Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, requires the department of education to include the teaching of financial literacy in the personal/transition plan requirement for each student." This bill was reported from Conference Committee on 4/23/21.

  • Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 152 is "Urging The Department Of Education To Coordinate With The Department Of Commerce And Consumer Affairs To Implement A Graduation Requirement Of At Least A Half Credit In Financial Literacy During The Junior Year Or Senior Year." Senate received the bill on 4/20/21.

• Illinois

  • Illinois HB3131 is the "Creates the Equity through Financial Literacy Task Force Act" was re-referred to the Rules Committee. 

  • Illinois SB1830 "Provides that a course in financial literacy may be taken towards the fulfillment of the mathematics requirement that each pupil entering the 9th grade must successfully complete to receive a high school diploma" was read in the House and then referred to Rules Committee

•  Kansas HB2039 "Requiring administration of a basic civics test as part of the course in United States history and government that is necessary for high school graduation and requiring students to take and pass a personal financial literacy course for high school graduation beginning in school year 2024-2025" was vetoed by the Governor. 

  
   

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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