I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4668 
To promote digital citizenship and media literacy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 11, 2019 
Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. UNDERWOOD, 
Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. SHERRILL, and Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mex-
ico) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To promote digital citizenship and media literacy. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Digital Citizenship and 
Media Literacy Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) People in the United States rely on infor-
mation from mass media, social media, and digital 
media to make decisions about all aspects of social, 
economic, and political life, including products and 
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services consumption, employment, career and pro-
fessional development, family and leisure choices, 
health and wellness, and democratic engagement. 
Ensuring that people in the United States possess 
the skills to make these informed decisions based on 
media begins early in life. 
(2) Adversaries from Russia, China, and Iran 
are using information warfare to influence democ-
racies across the world, and terrorist organizations 
often use digital communications to recruit mem-
bers. The United States can fight these influences 
by ensuring that citizens of the United States pos-
sess the necessary skills to discern disinformation 
and misinformation and think critically about their 
digital activities. 
(3) Influence campaigns by foreign and domes-
tic groups reached tens of millions of voters during 
the 2016 and 2018 elections with racially and divi-
sively targeted messages. The preservation of elec-
tions free of foreign influence is of utmost impor-
tance, and therefore Congress must take steps to 
counter influence campaigns with media literacy. 
(4) Media literacy education is critical to allow 
young people to make informed decisions about 
products and services, education, health and well-
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ness, and democratic decisions associated with public 
policy. Media literacy education must be inclusive 
and accessible for all students, including at-risk stu-
dents and students with disabilities. Media literacy 
empowers young people and gives them the agency 
to make informed decisions about their future, ad-
vertisements, the use of controlled substances, nutri-
tion, and physical health. Equipping students with 
the skills to make informed decisions in these areas 
contributes to the betterment of mental health and 
public health. 
(5) A successful and inclusive media literacy 
program must be directed at students beginning in 
kindergarten and should continue throughout the 
completion of postsecondary education. Learning to 
critically analyze and create media is a lifelong proc-
ess that can be developed by integrating media lit-
eracy competencies into academic curriculum across 
content areas and disciplines. 
(6) Media literacy also allows young people to 
develop the critical thinking skills that will help 
them become informed voters. The right to vote is 
a fundamental right afforded to United States citi-
zens by the Constitution. The unimpeded free exer-
cise of this right is essential to the functioning of 
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(A) safely, responsibly, and ethically use 
communication technologies and digital infor-
mation technology tools and platforms; 
(B) create and share media content using 
principles of social and civic responsibility and 
with awareness of the legal and ethical issues 
involved; and 
(C) participate in the political, economic, 
social, and cultural aspects of life related to 
technology, communications, and the digital 
world by consuming and creating digital con-
tent, including media. 
(5) MEDIA LITERACY.—The term ‘‘media lit-
eracy’’ means the ability to— 
(A) access relevant and accurate informa-
tion through media in a variety of forms; 
(B) critically analyze media content and 
the influences of different forms of media; 
(C) evaluate the comprehensiveness, rel-
evance, credibility, authority, and accuracy of 
information; 
(D) make educated decisions based on in-
formation obtained from media and digital 
sources; 
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(E) operate various forms of technology 
and digital tools; and 
(F) reflect on how the use of media and 
technology may affect private and public life. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
program to promote media literacy, through which the 
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to enable 
those eligible entities to carry out the activities described 
in this subsection (d). 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Sec-
retary may require, including, at a minimum— 
(1) a description of the activities the eligible en-
tity intends to carry out with the grant funds; 
(2) an estimate of the costs associated with 
such activities; and 
(3) such other information and assurances as 
the Secretary may require. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 
is a State educational agency receiving a grant 
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under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 
out one or more of the following activities: 
(i) Creating and supporting a media 
literacy advisory council to— 
(I) 
provide 
recommendations 
about digital citizenship and media lit-
eracy guidelines; 
(II) identify barriers and oppor-
tunities for implementing media lit-
eracy in kindergarten through grade 
12 in public schools in the State for 
all students, including students who 
are children with disabilities; 
(III) identify best practices and 
effective models for media literacy ed-
ucation, including incorporating uni-
versal design for learning and pro-
viding additional accommodations for 
students who are children with dis-
abilities when needed; 
(IV) identify existing models of 
curriculum and existing policies in dif-
ferent States that are aimed at over-
coming the barriers identified in sub-
clause (II); 
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(V) gather data or conduct re-
search to assess the media literacy 
and digital citizenship competencies of 
students, teachers, or specialized in-
structional support personnel; 
(VI) submit a report to the State 
educational agency containing findings 
and recommendations regarding the 
items identified under this clause; and 
(VII) annually update those find-
ings and recommendations. 
(ii) Assisting local educational agen-
cies in the development of units of instruc-
tion on media literacy, either as a new sub-
ject or as a part of the existing curriculum. 
(iii) Assisting local agencies in devel-
oping means of evaluating student learning 
in media literacy. 
(iv) Assisting local agencies in devel-
oping or providing professional develop-
ment for teachers that relates to media lit-
eracy. 
(B) MEDIA
LITERACY
ADVISORY
COUN-
CIL.— 
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(i) MEMBERS.—The Media Literacy 
Advisory Council described in subpara-
graph (A)(i) shall include experts in media 
literacy, including academic experts, indi-
viduals from nonprofit organizations, indi-
viduals with expertise in education for stu-
dents who are children with disabilities, 
teachers, librarians, representatives from 
parent organizations, educators, adminis-
trators, students, and other stakeholders. 
(ii) 
DIVERSITY
OF
REPRESENTA-
TION.—Such membership shall include rep-
resentation from rural and urban local 
educational agencies, small and large 
schools, high- and low-resource schools, 
teachers of at-risk students and children 
with disabilities, and schools in commu-
nities from diverse racial and ethnic back-
grounds. 
(C) GUIDELINES.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 
agency that creates a media literacy advi-
sory council under subparagraph (A)(i) 
shall, only after consideration of the find-
ings and recommendations described in 
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subparagraph (A)(i)(I) and (VI), develop 
and publish on the State educational agen-
cy website inclusive digital citizenship and 
media literacy guidelines for students in 
kindergarten through grade 12 in public 
schools in the State. 
(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The guidelines 
described in clause (i) shall be designed to 
develop media literacy and digital citizen-
ship 
competencies 
by 
promoting 
stu-
dents’— 
(I) research and information flu-
ency; 
(II) critical thinking and problem 
solving skills; 
(III) technology operations and 
concepts; 
(IV) information and techno-
logical literacy; 
(V) concepts of media representa-
tion and stereotyping; 
(VI) understanding of explicit 
and implicit media messages; 
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(VII) understanding of values 
and points of view that are included 
and excluded in media content; 
(VIII) 
understanding 
of 
how 
media may influence ideas and behav-
iors; 
(IX) understanding of the impor-
tance of obtaining information from 
multiple media sources and evaluating 
sources for quality; 
(X) understanding how informa-
tion on digital platforms can be al-
tered through algorithms, editing, and 
augmented reality; and 
(XI) ability to create media in 
civically and socially responsible ways. 
(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.—An eligi-
ble entity that is a local educational agency receiving 
a grant under this Act shall use grant funds to carry 
out one or more of the following activities: 
(A) Incorporating digital citizenship and 
media literacy into the existing curriculum 
(across content and disciplinary areas) or estab-
lishing new educational opportunities to learn 
about media literacy. 
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(B) Employing specialized instructional 
support personnel, such as a librarian or other 
personnel who can provide instructional services 
in media literacy. 
(C) Providing funding to educators who 
are carrying out activities described in subpara-
graph (A) to further their professional develop-
ment in relation to media literacy, including 
funding for traveling to media literacy con-
ferences to share knowledge with regional and 
national stakeholders. 
(D) Other activities, including student led 
efforts, to support, develop, or promote the im-
plementation of media literacy education pro-
grams, 
policies, 
teacher 
preparation, 
cur-
riculum, or standards. 
(e) REPORTING.— 
(1) REPORTS
BY
ELIGIBLE
ENTITIES.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date the eligible entity re-
ceives grant funds under this Act, each eligible enti-
ty shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a re-
port describing the activities the eligible entity car-
ried out using grant funds and the effectiveness of 
those activities. 
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(2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 
than 90 days after the Secretary receives the report 
described in paragraph (1) from the last eligible en-
tity to submit such a report, the Secretary shall pre-
pare and submit a report to Congress describing the 
activities carried out under this Act and the effec-
tiveness of those activities. 
SEC. 4. FEDERAL ADVISORY COUNCIL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
Federal Advisory Council to assist the Secretary in evalu-
ating and awarding grants under this section 3 and devel-
oping and making available to States and local educational 
agencies evidence-based model curricula and standards for 
media literacy education. 
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Council shall— 
(1) include representation from rural and urban 
local educational agencies, small and large schools, 
high- and low-resource schools, teachers of children 
with disabilities, and schools in communities from 
diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; and 
(2) be composed of experts in media literacy 
and digital citizenship, including academic experts, 
individuals from nonprofit organizations, individuals 
with expertise in education for at-risk students, and 
students who are children with disabilities, teachers, 
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librarians, representatives from parent associations, 
educators, administrators, students, and other stake-
holders. 
SEC. 5. GAO STUDY. 
Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this 
Act, the Government Accountability Office shall submit a 
report to Congress on— 
(1) media literacy and digital citizenship com-
petencies among elementary school and secondary 
school students in diverse local educational agencies, 
including rural and urban schools, small and large 
schools, high- and low-resource schools, and schools 
in communities from diverse racial and ethnic back-
grounds; 
(2) media literacy and digital citizenship edu-
cation programs at the State and local levels, includ-
ing across content and disciplinary areas; and 
(3) the impact of media literacy and digital citi-
zenship education on student outcomes, including 
academic performance, health and well-being, and 
civic engagement. 
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary should 
establish and maintain a list of eligible entities that receive 
a grant under this Act, and individuals designated by 
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those eligible entities as participating individuals. The 
Secretary should make that list available to those eligible 
entities and participating individuals in order to promote 
communication and further exchange of information re-
garding sound digital citizenship and media literacy prac-
tices among recipients of a grant under this Act. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020, 2022, 
and 2024. 
Æ 
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