WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday morning that will require all Florida high school students to pass a financial literacy class before graduating.
The bill, put forward by local state senator Travis Hutson, requires students to take a half-credit course in personal financial literacy and money management.
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“This will provide a foundation for students to learn about the basics of money management, understanding debt, understanding how to balance a checkbook, understanding the fundamentals of investing. Any financial literacy has really been intertwined with economics courses, which you know, economics is a little bit different than financial literacy. And so we want a strong focus on economics, both micro and macro, but you want to also have standalone financial literacy,” DeSantis said.
Senate Bill 1054 is being called the Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act after a former Republican member in the Florida Senate who represented parts of the Volusia County area until her death in 2018.
“Senator Hukill was a personal friend, and it is my deepest honor to fulfill her legacy,” said Senator Hutson in a statement. “Every student should learn financial literacy before they graduate and start making real life financial decisions. I cannot thank the Governor enough for not only the bill signing but also helping Florida’s graduates be better prepared for tomorrow’s future.”
DeSantis said the requirement will go into effect for the 2023-2024 school year.