[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 162 (Thursday, November 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8051-S8052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Franken):
S. 1704. A bill to expand the use of open textbooks in order to
achieve savings for students; to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1704
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 2012-2013
academic year, the average student budget for college books
and supplies was $1,200.
(3) The Government Accountability Office found that new
textbook prices increased 82 percent over the last decade 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) Using open educational resources in place of
traditional materials in large-enrollment college courses can
reduce textbook costs by 80 to 100 percent.
(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 is licensed
under an open license and made freely available online to the
public.
(4) Open license.--The term ``open license'' means a
worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual,
irrevocable copyright license granting the public permission
to access, reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display,
adapt, distribute, and otherwise use the work and adaptations
of the work for any purpose, conditioned only on the
requirement that attribution be given to authors as
designated.
(5) 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.
(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 pilot
programs that expand the use of open textbooks in order to
achieve savings for students.
(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
(including those engaged in the creation of open educational
resources), 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 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
(E) 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 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.
(4) Research evaluating the efficacy of the use of open
textbooks for achieving savings for students.
(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 or adapted
under subsection (e) shall be licensed under an open license.
(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, 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 pilot program in expanding the
use of open textbooks and in achieving savings for students;
(2) the impact of the pilot program 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);
and
(4) 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 such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years after
the enactment of this Act.
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); and
[[Page S8052]]
(2) in paragraph (9);
(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 July 1, 2016, 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; and
(3) the savings generated for students, States, and the
Federal Government through the use of open textbooks.
SEC. 8. GAO REPORT.
Not later than July 1, 2017, 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; and
(4) the impact of open textbooks on the cost of textbooks.
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