(photo) Sen. Somers Applauds Signing of High School Financial Literacy Measure

For Immediate Release

Sen. Somers Applauds Signing of High School Financial Literacy Measure

Bipartisan new law “will serve our young people well for the rest of their lives.”

Sen. Heather Somers today applauded the signing into law of legislation she co-sponsored that promotes financial literacy for the state’s public high school students. The law requires high school students to complete a one-half credit course in personal financial management and financial literacy for graduation.

“Understanding the management of personal finances is arguably one of the most important things a person needs upon entering the ‘real world’,” Sen. Somers said. “This new law aims to provide students with a required foundation to help them do that. It will serve our young people well for the rest of their lives.”

Sen. Somers, who serves on the legislature’s Commerce Committee which focuses on economic development, said measures like this will help to develop a stronger and more knowledgeable workforce that will be needed to fill tens of thousands of future jobs at economic drivers such as Electric Boat.

Financial literacy topics will include banking, investing, savings, the impact of using credit cards, and debt. The requirement will begin with the graduating class of 2027, and those students begin their four-year high school journey this fall.

The policy was a part of Senate Republican lawmakers’ comprehensive ‘A Better Way to a Prosperous Connecticut’ series of legislative workforce measures to put young people on a path to a well-paying career to support themselves and their families.