What's happening
This bill requires New York high school students to complete a financial and insurance literacy course as a graduation requirement.
Why it matters
Prepares students for real-world financial decisions. by ensuring they learn about money management, investment basics, and essential insurance concepts before graduating, potentially reducing future financial hardship and confusion.
Includes retirement planning and insurance literacy. topics often overlooked in standard curricula—which could help students start thinking about long-term security and understanding common financial products from a young age.
Allows flexibility for schools. by permitting the course to count toward mathematics, social studies, or elective credits, or to be offered as a standalone course if resources permit, making implementation easier for diverse school systems.
Ties funding to expanded offerings. , as local boards may create separate financial literacy courses if state funding is available, possibly increasing the depth and quality of instruction where resources allow.
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Who cares
Students in grades nine through twelve
They would have to complete at least a half-credit course in financial and insurance literacy to graduate.
Local boards of education
They would have to require the instruction, which could be incorporated into existing coursework and count toward mathematics, social studies or elective graduation credits.
State education commissioner
The commissioner would have to develop and adopt curriculum standards covering money management, investment, personal insurance policies and retirement planning.
Headline styles
Teach Financial Literacy in Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Teach Financial Skills in Schools
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Monica Martinez
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
809
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing instruction in financial and insurance literacy
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 819 to read as follows:
§ 819. Instruction in financial and insurance literacy. 1. The commissioner shall develop and adopt curriculum standards for instruction in financial and insurance literacy to be completed by students enrolled in secondary school. Upon the effective date of this section, each local board of education shall require all students in grades nine through twelve, as a condition of graduation, to complete at least a half-credit course in financial and insurance literacy which implements the minimum course of instruction standards established pursuant to this section.
2. Such standards shall include but not be limited to instruction in core competencies of money management and investment and basic principles of personal insurance policies and retirement planning. Such instruction may be provided in the context of existing coursework offered by a local school system and shall be eligible to count toward a mathematics, social studies or elective unit of credit requirement for graduation. Subject to state-appropriated funding, local school boards may provide a unit of study related to financial and insurance literacy separate from existing coursework.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00337-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.