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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10021 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10021
To require covered companies to allow consenting cohabitating adults to
open joint accounts, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 22, 2024
Mr. Casten (for himself and Mrs. Beatty) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in
addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require covered companies to allow consenting cohabitating adults to
open joint accounts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Financial Empowerment and Protection
Act''.
SEC. 2. COVERED COMPANY JOINT ACCOUNTS OF CONSENTING COHABITATING
ADULTS.
(a) Requirements for Covered Company Joint Accounts of Consenting
Cohabitating Adults.--
(1) Joint accounts.--
(A) In general.--Each covered company shall allow
consenting cohabitating adults who are or will be
customers of the covered company to open a joint
account with the covered company for purposes of
managing--
(i) the services provided by the covered
company; and
(ii) bills for such services.
(B) Agreement required.--A joint account may not be
opened pursuant to this paragraph unless each of the
consenting cohabitating adults agree to open the joint
account.
(2) Names.--Each joint account opened pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall be in the name of each of the consenting cohabitating
adults who opened the joint account.
(3) Requests for information.--With respect to a joint
account opened pursuant to paragraph (1), each covered company
shall, upon request by any of the consenting cohabitating
adults that opened the joint account, provide to such
consenting cohabitating adults--
(A) information related to the joint account,
including--
(i) bills;
(ii) copies of paper and electronic mail;
and
(iii) any information about products or
services provided.
(B) access to any online portal for the joint
account.
(4) Notification required.--Each covered company shall
provide a notice to each cohabitating adult that opens a joint
account with the covered company that explains what information
will be shared by the covered company with each of the
consenting cohabitating adults.
(5) Regulation p.--If a covered company is required by
Regulation P (part 1016 of title 12, Code of Federal
Regulations) to provide certain privacy notices such covered
company shall provide such privacy notices to each of the
consenting cohabitating adults who opened the joint account.
(6) Civil actions.--Any cohabitating adult who is harmed by
a failure of a covered company to meet a requirement of this
subsection may bring a civil action in a Federal or State court
against such a covered company for an award of not more than
$1,000 for each such failure.
(b) Effective Date.--The requirements of this section shall apply
to covered companies beginning on the date that is 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this section.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Consenting cohabitating adults.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
(B), the term ``consenting cohabitating adults'' means
any adults who consent to cohabitate.
(B) Childcare provider.--With respect to a covered
company that is a childcare provider licensed by a
State, the term ``consenting cohabitating adults''
means the custodial parents of a child who is or will
be served by such a covered company.
(2) Covered company.--The term ``covered company''
includes--
(A) an electric utility (as defined in section 3 of
the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2602));
(B) a gas utility (as defined in section 302 of the
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (15
U.S.C. 3202));
(C) a water utility;
(D) an owner or operator of a sanitary landfill (as
defined in section 1004 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act
(42 U.S.C. 6903));
(E) a provider of internet access service;
(F) a provider of telephone service;
(G) any person who rents a dwelling that is covered
by the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.);
(H) any childcare provider licensed by a State;
(I) any person who originates a residential
mortgage loan;
(J) any person who leases a residential dwelling
unit;
(K) any person who is a servicer of a residential
mortgage loan; and
(L) a multichannel video programming distributor
(as defined in section 602 of the Communications Act of
1934 (47 U.S.C. 522)).
(3) Residential mortgage loan.--The term ``residential
mortgage loan'' has the meaning given the term in section
103(d)(d) of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1602(d)(d)).
(4) Servicer.--The term ``servicer'' has the meaning given
the term in section 6(i)(2) of the Real Estate Settlement
Procedures Act of 1974 (12 U.S.C. 2605(i)(2)).
(5) Telephone service.--The term ``telephone service''
means any of the following:
(A) Voice service (as defined in section 227(e)(8)
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
227(e)(8))).
(B) Commercial mobile service (as defined in
section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 332(d))).
(C) Commercial mobile data service (as defined in
section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job
Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401)).
(6) Water utility.--The term ``water utility'' means the
owner or operator of--
(A) a public water system (as defined in section
1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f));
or
(B) a treatment works (as defined in section 212 of
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1292)).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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