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, Finan-
cial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 cohabi-
tating adults to open joint accounts, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Financial Empower-
ment and Protection Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. COVERED COMPANY JOINT ACCOUNTS OF CON-
SENTING 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 com-
pany for purposes of managing— 
(i) the services provided by the cov-
ered company; and 
(ii) bills for such services. 
(B) AGREEMENT REQUIRED.—A joint ac-
count may not be opened pursuant to this para-
graph unless each of the consenting cohabi-
tating adults agree to open the joint account. 
(2) NAMES.—Each joint account opened pursu-
ant 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 re-
spect to a joint account opened pursuant to para-
graph (1), each covered company shall, upon request 
by any of the consenting cohabitating adults that 
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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 cohabi-
tating adults’’ means any adults who consent to 
cohabitate. 
(B) CHILDCARE PROVIDER.—With respect 
to a covered company that is a childcare pro-
vider licensed by a State, the term ‘‘consenting 
cohabitating adults’’ means the custodial par-
ents 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)); 
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(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 resi-
dential mortgage loan; and 
(L) a multichannel video programming dis-
tributor (as defined in section 602 of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522)). 
(3) RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOAN.—The term 
‘‘residential mortgage loan’’ has the meaning given 
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the term in section 103(d)(d) of the Truth in Lend-
ing 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 ‘‘tele-
phone 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 de-
fined 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 
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(B) a treatment works (as defined in sec-
tion 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)). 
Æ 
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