A bill filed late last year would require high school students in Florida to take a personal finance course.
Under the legislation, filed by Sen. Travis Hutson of Palm Coast, students entering the ninth grade would be required to take a half-credit financial literacy course.
“In light of economic challenges nationwide, sound financial management skills are vitally important to all Floridians, particularly high school students […] requiring educational instruction in financial literacy and money management as a prerequisite to high school graduation will better prepare young people in this state for adulthood by providing them with the requisite knowledge to achieve financial stability and independence.”
The course would include information regarding financial planning, earning income, saving and financial investing, taxes, credit card use, budgeting and debt management, student and secured loans, banking and financial services, credit reports and scores and fraud and identity theft prevention, the bill states.
This bill arrives as South Carolina and Rhode Island are considering similar bills that would also require high school students to learn about personal finance.
“The adoption of this act will make [Florida] the sixth state in the nation to require a stand-alone course in personal financial literacy as a prerequisite for high school graduation and a standard high school diploma,” the bill states.
The “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act” is named after Sen. Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) who passed away in October.
You can read the bill in its entirety by clicking here.
