I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Financial Empower5 ment and Protection Act’’. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 10021 IH

1 SEC. 2. COVERED COMPANY JOINT ACCOUNTS OF CON2 SENTING COHABITATING ADULTS. 

3 (a) REQUIREMENTS FOR COVERED COMPANY JOINT

4 ACCOUNTS OF CONSENTING COHABITATING ADULTS.— 

5 (1) JOINT ACCOUNTS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each covered company 

7 shall allow consenting cohabitating adults who 

8 are or will be customers of the covered company 

9 to open a joint account with the covered com10 pany for purposes of managing— 

11 (i) the services provided by the cov12 ered company; and 

13 (ii) bills for such services. 

14 (B) AGREEMENT REQUIRED.—A joint ac15 count may not be opened pursuant to this para16 graph unless each of the consenting cohabi17 tating adults agree to open the joint account. 

18 (2) NAMES.—Each joint account opened pursu19 ant to paragraph (1) shall be in the name of each 

20 of the consenting cohabitating adults who opened 

21 the joint account. 

22 (3) REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION.—With re23 spect to a joint account opened pursuant to para24 graph (1), each covered company shall, upon request 

25 by any of the consenting cohabitating adults that 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 10021 IH

1 opened the joint account, provide to such consenting 

2 cohabitating adults— 

3 (A) information related to the joint ac4 count, including— 

5 (i) bills; 

6 (ii) copies of paper and electronic 

7 mail; and 

8 (iii) any information about products 

9 or services provided. 

10 (B) access to any online portal for the 

11 joint account. 

12 (4) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Each covered 

13 company shall provide a notice to each cohabitating 

14 adult that opens a joint account with the covered 

15 company that explains what information will be 

16 shared by the covered company with each of the con17 senting cohabitating adults. 

18 (5) REGULATION P.—If a covered company is 

19 required by Regulation P (part 1016 of title 12, 

20 Code of Federal Regulations) to provide certain pri21 vacy notices such covered company shall provide 

22 such privacy notices to each of the consenting co23 habitating adults who opened the joint account. 

24 (6) CIVIL ACTIONS.—Any cohabitating adult 

25 who is harmed by a failure of a covered company to 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 10021 IH

1 meet a requirement of this subsection may bring a 

2 civil action in a Federal or State court against such 

3 a covered company for an award of not more than 

4 $1,000 for each such failure. 

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The requirements of this 

6 section shall apply to covered companies beginning on the 

7 date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

8 this section. 

9 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) CONSENTING COHABITATING ADULTS.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

12 subparagraph (B), the term ‘‘consenting cohabi13 tating adults’’ means any adults who consent to 

14 cohabitate. 

15 (B) CHILDCARE PROVIDER.—With respect 

16 to a covered company that is a childcare pro17 vider licensed by a State, the term ‘‘consenting 

18 cohabitating adults’’ means the custodial par19 ents of a child who is or will be served by such 

20 a covered company. 

21 (2) COVERED COMPANY.—The term ‘‘covered 

22 company’’ includes— 

23 (A) an electric utility (as defined in section 

24 3 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 

25 of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602)); 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 10021 IH

1 (B) a gas utility (as defined in section 302 

2 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 

3 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3202)); 

4 (C) a water utility; 

5 (D) an owner or operator of a sanitary 

6 landfill (as defined in section 1004 of the Solid 

7 Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6903)); 

8 (E) a provider of internet access service; 

9 (F) a provider of telephone service; 

10 (G) any person who rents a dwelling that 

11 is covered by the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 3601 et seq.); 

13 (H) any childcare provider licensed by a 

14 State; 

15 (I) any person who originates a residential 

16 mortgage loan; 

17 (J) any person who leases a residential 

18 dwelling unit; 

19 (K) any person who is a servicer of a resi20 dential mortgage loan; and 

21 (L) a multichannel video programming dis22 tributor (as defined in section 602 of the Com23 munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522)). 

24 (3) RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOAN.—The term 

25 ‘‘residential mortgage loan’’ has the meaning given 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 10021 IH

1 the term in section 103(d)(d) of the Truth in Lend2 ing Act (15 U.S.C. 1602(d)(d)). 

3 (4) SERVICER.—The term ‘‘servicer’’ has the 

4 meaning given the term in section 6(i)(2) of the 

5 Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (12 

6 U.S.C. 2605(i)(2)). 

7 (5) TELEPHONE SERVICE.—The term ‘‘tele8 phone service’’ means any of the following: 

9 (A) Voice service (as defined in section 

10 227(e)(8) of the Communications Act of 1934 

11 (47 U.S.C. 227(e)(8))). 

12 (B) Commercial mobile service (as defined 

13 in section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 

14 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d))). 

15 (C) Commercial mobile data service (as de16 fined in section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax 

17 Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 

18 1401)). 

19 (6) WATER UTILITY.—The term ‘‘water utility’’ 

20 means the owner or operator of— 

21 (A) a public water system (as defined in 

22 section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

23 (42 U.S.C. 300f)); or 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 10021 IH

1 (B) a treatment works (as defined in sec2 tion 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

3 Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)). 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB