For my product, I plan on writing a piece of example regulation with the sources from my lit reviews and input from my very qualified expert, Dr. Mitchell Berlin, as well as numerous other resources. Additionally, I want to develop an interactive website that allows visitors to graphically analyze the effects of financial regulation from the Great Recession, among other things. Suppose I create an actual draft of the legislation. In that case, I could make my product a draft of legislation to Congress about what the United States Banking Agencies should do to prevent most crises without inhibiting the industry. More specifically, Dr. Berlin suggested I target a more under-researched sector related to mutual fund reform, which was a big contributor to the Great Recession.

March 23, 2023:  After multiple revisions of "The Mutual Fund Stability and Security Act of 2023", I emailed numerous members of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, including Mark Warner (VA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Chris Van Hollen (MD),  Jack Reed (RI), Bill Hagerty (TN), Katie Britt (AL), Kevin Cramer (ND), Sherrod Brown (OH), Tim Scott (SC).  The message shared was as follows:

Message:

Dear Senator,

I am writing to you as a high school senior from Stafford, VA, who has recently completed a 4-year culminating research project on financial reform from the great recession and mutual funds. I have created a bill to better the United States financial stability and security by introducing more transparency, accountability, and consumer protection in the mutual fund industry.

My bill proposes to require mutual funds to disclose their fees, risks, performance, and holdings more clearly and frequently; to limit their use of leverage, derivatives, and complex strategies; to strengthen their governance and oversight; and to enhance their fiduciary duty to investors.

I have published my bill on my website at https://www.mutual-fund.net/reform-legislation for your review and feedback. I believe that this bill would benefit millions of Americans who invest in mutual funds for their retirement, education, and other financial goals.

I know you are a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which has jurisdiction over matters related to banks and banking. I respect your expertise and experience in this field and would appreciate your opinion on my bill.

I hope you find my project exciting and worthy of your attention. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Yashaswi Sunkara 

www.mutual-fund.net/reform-legislation