B26-0405 • 2025

Youth Financial Literacy Pilot Amendment Act of 2025

Children Education Parental Rights

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Parker
Last action: 2025-10-10
Official status: Under Council Review
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text defines 'Direct cash stipend' as applying to both middle and high school students, but limits 'Participating school' to high schools only; this creates a potential ambiguity about whether middle schoolers can participate if they attend a qualifying high school or if the definition is inconsistent.

Youth Financial Literacy Pilot Amendment Act of 2025

This bill creates a four-year pilot program to give $50 weekly cash payments to eligible students in certain D.C. high schools while studying the effects on their wellbeing, attendance, and financial literacy.

What This Bill Does

Establishes a grant program called the Fifty Dollar a Week Pilot Program starting in School Year 2026-2027 for four years total.
Requires OSSE to hire an organization with experience testing cash transfer programs for high school students.
Provides $50 weekly direct cash stipends to eligible students for 40 weeks during each year of the pilot.
Mandates a study on how the payments affect student wellbeing, attendance, and financial literacy.
Requires annual progress reports to be submitted to OSSE and the D.C. Council by October 1.

Who It Names or Affects

Students enrolled in participating public or charter high schools with more than 40% at-risk students.
Parents or guardians who must give consent for their children to join the program.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which will run and oversee the pilot.

Terms To Know

Direct cash stipend: Unconditional, recurring money given directly to middle or high school students without strings attached.
Participating school: A D.C. public or charter high school where more than 40% of the student population is considered at-risk and that joins the pilot program.
Eligible student: A student who attends a participating school for the full year and has parental consent to join the program.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much total funding is available or where the money will come from.
OSSE must create specific criteria later to decide which schools can participate in the pilot.
The exact method for delivering the cash payments has not been decided yet.

Bill History

2025-10-10 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0405 Published in the District of Columbia Register
2025-10-07 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Referred to Committee of the Whole
2025-10-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
B26-0405 Introduced by Councilmember Parker at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Youth Financial Literacy Pilot Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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________________________________ ________________________________ 2
Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Zachary Parker 3
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A BILL 7
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
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To amend the State Education Office Establishment Act of 2000 to establish a grant program to 16
provide a $50 weekly direct cash stipend to eligible students in participating schools in 17
the District of Columbia. 18
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 20
act may be cited as the “Youth Financial Literacy Pilot Amendment Act of 2025”. 21
Sec. 2. The State Education Office Establishment Act of 2000, effective October 21, 22
2000 (D.C. Law 13-176; D.C. Official Code § 38-2601 et seq.), is amended by adding a new 23
section 7j to read as follows: 24
“Sec. 7j. Fifty Dollar a Week Pilot Program. 25
“(a) Beginning in School Year 2026-2027 and for the three subsequent School Years, 26
OSSE shall administer a Fifty Dollar a Week Pilot Program to provide a $50 weekly direct cash 27
stipend to eligible students in participating schools in the District of Columbia for 40 weeks and 28
shall study its effects on student wellbeing, attendance, and financial literacy. 29
“(b) OSSE shall contract with an organization that has experience assessing the 30
effectiveness of a cash transfer program for high school students—including the impact of direct, 31
unconditional cash transfers on financial hardship, financial capability, upward economic 32

mobility, and academic achievement; 33
“(c) In consultation with OSSE, the contract awardee shall issue a call for applications 34
and select participating schools for the pilot by July 1, 2026 for the School Year 2026-2027 and 35
by July 1 of each subsequent School Year the pilot is administered. Participation in the pilot shall 36
be based on criteria OSSE establishes. 37
“(d) In consultation with OSSE, the contract awardee shall: 38
“(1) Identify an appropriate method to disburse the direct cash stipend; 39
“(2) Invite eligible students at participating high schools to enroll in the $50 40
study; 41
“(3) Enroll eligible students; 42
“(4) Administer the direct cash stipend to eligible students participating in the 43
Fifty Dollar a Week Pilot Program; 44
“(5) Evaluate the efficacy of the program; and, 45
“(6) Submit on October 1 of each year during the grant period an annual progress 46
report to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and the Council of the District of 47
Columbia on program performance. 48
“(e) For the purposes of this section, the term: 49
“(1) “Direct cash stipend” means unconditional, recurring cash provided directly 50
to middle and high school students. 51
“(2) “Participating school” means a D.C. public or public charter high school with 52
an at-risk student population that exceeds 40% of the school's total enrollment that is 53
participating in the pilot program. 54
“(3) “Eligible student” means a student enrolled in a participating school for the 55

entire school year at a participating school and whose parent or guardian consents to their 56
participation in the Fifty Dollar a Week Pilot Program.”. 57
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 58
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 59
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 60
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 61
Sec. 4. Effective date. 62
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 63
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 64
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 65
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 66
Columbia Register. 67