```

[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>
```