WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King has introduced bicameral legislation to make college textbooks more affordable. The Affordable College Textbook Act would authorize a competitive grant program to support the expansion of open college textbooks—print, audio or digital textbooks that are available under a single license owned by the college or university—allowing professors, students, researchers, and others to freely access the materials like any other book in the college library.

“Textbooks are a central part of a college education – but for students already struggling to keep up with the rising costs of college, they are also another large expense that is often overlooked,” said Senator King. “The Affordable College Textbook Act will ensure that all students, professors, and researchers — regardless of financial background — can access the educational resources they need through open sources. I want to thank my colleagues for prioritizing our students so that they can focus on what really matters: their studies.”

Textbook costs can be a substantial barrier to pursuing a college education. According to The College Board, the average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2022-2023 academic year was $1,240 at four-year public institutions.  According to a survey by U.S. PIRG, 65 percent of students decided not to buy a textbook because of the cost, and 94 percent of those students worried it would negatively affect their grade.

Joining King on this legislation are Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), along with U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO-02).

King, Durbin, Smith, Sinema, and Neguse secured $12 million in funding for the Open Textbook Pilot Program, based on the Affordable College Textbook Act, in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Omnibus appropriations bill.  The FY23 funding will bring the total federal investment in the Open Textbook Pilot to $47 million. It is estimated that projects supported by the Pilot to date will result in more than $250 million in eventual savings for students.

The Affordable College Textbook Act expands and updates provisions from the College Textbook Affordability Act which was included in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act. The provisions aimed to make more information available to students looking to manage college textbook costs. The 2008 law required textbook publishers to disclose to faculty the cost of a textbook to their students, required schools to publish textbook price information in course catalogues when practicable, and required publishers to offer unbundled supplemental materials. The provisions took effect on July 1, 2010.

Specifically, the Affordable College Textbook Act:

• Authorizes a grant program, similar to the Open Textbook Pilot program for which Congress already has appropriated $47 million, to support projects at colleges and universities to create and expand the use of open textbooks with priority for those programs that will achieve the highest savings for students;
• Ensures that any open textbooks or educational materials created using program funds will be free and easily accessible to the public;
• Requires entities who receive funds to complete a report on the effectiveness of the program in achieving savings for students;
• Improves and update existing requirements for publishers and institutions that provide information on textbook costs, including new disclosure requirements to students on how companies providing digital materials may use student data; and
• Requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress with an update on the price trends of college textbooks.

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