On the recordMay 20, 2010
Mr. President, I strongly support the Wall Street reform bill. The chairman of the Banking Committee, my friend from Connecticut, has done such tremendous work on this historic legislation. Senator Dodd has worked with me and other members to create a bill that will better educate, protect, and empower consumers and investors. I am extremely proud of this legislation and appreciate the willingness of the chairman to work to address so many issues important to working families. Education is a primary component of financial literacy. In this bill, we create an Office of Financial Literacy within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Office will develop and implement initiatives to educate and empower consumers. A strategy to improve the financial literacy among consumers, that includes measurable goals and benchmarks, must be developed. The Administrator of the bureau will serve as vice chairman of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission to ensure meaningful participation in Federal efforts intended to help educate, protect, and empower working families. The legislation also requires a financial literacy study to be conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC. The SEC will be required to develop an investor financial literacy strategy intended to bring about positive behavioral change among investors. This legislation provides essential consumer and investor protections for working families.…





