Affordable College Textbook Act
This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support projects that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students while maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes. An open textbook is an educational resource that either resides in the public domain or has been released under an intellectual license that permits its free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3840 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3840
To expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for
students.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 26, 2017
Mr. Polis (for himself and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for
students.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Affordable College Textbook Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The high cost of college textbooks continues to be a
barrier for many students in achieving higher education.
(2) According to the College Board, during the 2016-2017
academic year, the average student budget for college books and
supplies at 4-year public institutions of higher education was
$1,250.
(3) The Government Accountability Office found that new
textbook prices increased 82 percent between 2002 and 2012 and
that although Federal efforts to increase price transparency
have provided students and families with more and better
information, more must be done to address rising costs.
(4) The growth of the internet has enabled the creation and
sharing of digital content, including open educational
resources that can be freely used by students, teachers, and
members of the public.
(5) According to the Student PIRGs, expanded use of open
educational resources has the potential to save students more
than a billion dollars annually.
(6) Federal investment in expanding the use of open
educational resources could significantly lower college
textbook costs and reduce financial barriers to higher
education, while making efficient use of taxpayer funds.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Educational resource.--The term ``educational
resource'' means an educational material that can be used in
postsecondary instruction, including textbooks and other
written or audiovisual works.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(3) Open educational resource.--The term ``open educational
resource'' means an educational resource that either resides in
the public domain or has been released under an intellectual
property license that permits its free use, reuse,
modification, and sharing with others.
(4) Open textbook.--The term ``open textbook'' means an
open educational resource or set of open educational resources
that either is a textbook or can be used in place of a textbook
for a postsecondary course at an institution of higher
education.
(5) Relevant faculty.--The term ``relevant faculty'' means
both tenure track and contingent faculty members who may be
involved in the creation of open educational resources or the
use of open educational resources created as part of the grant
application.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Grants Authorized.--From the amounts appropriated under
subsection (i), the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible entities to support projects that expand the use of
open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students while
maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes.
(b) Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term ``eligible entity''
means an institution of higher education or group of institutions of
higher education.
(c) Applications.--
(1) In general.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant
under this section, after consultation with relevant faculty,
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Secretary may reasonably require.
(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include a description of the project to be completed
with grant funds and--
(A) a plan for promoting and tracking the use of
open textbooks in postsecondary courses offered by the
eligible entity, including an estimate of the projected
savings that will be achieved for students;
(B) a plan for evaluating, before creating new open
educational resources, whether existing open
educational resources could be used or adapted for the
same purpose;
(C) a plan for quality review and review of
accuracy of any open educational resources to be
created or adapted through the grant;
(D) a plan for assessing the impact of open
textbooks on instruction and student learning outcomes
at the eligible entity;
(E) a plan for disseminating information about the
results of the project to institutions of higher
education outside of the eligible entity, including
promoting the adoption of any open textbooks created or
adapted through the grant; and
(F) a statement on consultation with relevant
faculty, including those engaged in the creation of
open educational resources, in the development of the
application.
(d) Special Consideration.--In awarding grants under this section,
the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications that
demonstrate the greatest potential to--
(1) achieve the highest level of savings for students
through sustainable expanded use of open textbooks in
postsecondary courses offered by the eligible entity;
(2) expand the use of open textbooks at institutions of
higher education outside of the eligible entity; and
(3) produce--
(A) the highest quality open textbooks;
(B) open textbooks that can be most easily utilized
and adapted by faculty members at institutions of
higher education;
(C) open textbooks that correspond to the highest
enrollment courses at institutions of higher education;
and
(D) open textbooks created or adapted in
partnership with entities, including campus bookstores,
that will assist in marketing and distribution of the
open textbook.
(e) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
this section shall use the grant funds to carry out any of the
following activities to expand the use of open textbooks:
(1) Professional development for any faculty and staff
members at institutions of higher education, including the
search for and review of open textbooks.
(2) Creation or adaptation of open educational resources,
especially open textbooks.
(3) Development or improvement of tools and informational
resources that support the use of open textbooks, including
accessible instructional materials for students with
disabilities.
(4) Research evaluating the efficacy of the use of open
textbooks for achieving savings for students and the impact on
instruction and student learning outcomes.
(5) Partnerships with other entities, including other
institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations, or
nonprofit organizations, to carry out any of the activities
described in paragraphs (1) through (4).
(f) License.--Educational resources created under subsection (e)
shall be licensed under a nonexclusive, irrevocable license to the
public to exercise any of the rights under copyright conditioned only
on the requirement that attribution be given as directed by the
copyright owner.
(g) Access and Distribution.--The full and complete digital content
of each educational resource created or adapted under subsection (e)
shall be made available free of charge to the public--
(1) on an easily accessible and interoperable website,
which shall be identified to the Secretary by the eligible
entity; and
(2) in a machine readable, digital format that anyone can
directly download, edit with attribution, and redistribute.
(h) Report.--Upon an eligible entity's completion of a project
supported under this section, the eligible entity shall prepare and
submit a report to the Secretary regarding--
(1) the effectiveness of the project in expanding the use
of open textbooks and in achieving savings for students;
(2) the impact of the project on expanding the use of open
textbooks at institutions of higher education outside of the
eligible entity;
(3) educational resources created or adapted under the
grant, including instructions on where the public can access
each educational resource under the terms of subsection (g);
(4) the impact of the project on instruction and student
learning outcomes; and
(5) all project costs, including the value of any volunteer
labor and institutional capital used for the project.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for
each of the 5 fiscal years succeeding the fiscal year during which this
Act is enacted.
SEC. 5. PRICE INFORMATION.
Section 133(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1015b(b)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (6);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), as
paragraphs (6), (7), and (8), respectively; and
(3) in paragraph (8), as redesignated by paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
(B) by striking ``a college textbook that--'' and
inserting ``a college textbook that may include printed
materials, computer disks, website access, and
electronically distributed materials.''.
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that institutions of higher education
should encourage the consideration of open textbooks by faculty within
the generally accepted principles of academic freedom that establishes
the right and responsibility of faculty members, individually and
collectively, to select course materials that are pedagogically most
appropriate for their classes.
SEC. 7. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on
Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives detailing--
(1) the open textbooks created or adapted under this Act;
(2) the adoption of such open textbooks;
(3) the savings generated for students, States, and the
Federal Government through the use of open textbooks; and
(4) the impact of open textbooks on instruction and student
learning outcomes.
SEC. 8. GAO REPORT.
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall prepare and submit a
report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the
House of Representatives on the cost of textbooks to students at
institutions of higher education. The report shall particularly
examine--
(1) the change of the cost of textbooks;
(2) the factors that have contributed to the change of the
cost of textbooks;
(3) the extent to which open textbooks are used at
institutions of higher education;
(4) the impact of open textbooks on the cost of textbooks;
and
(5) how institutions are tracking the impact of open
textbooks on instruction and student learning outcomes.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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