WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) this week introduced bicameral legislation with Senate and House colleagues to make college textbooks easily accessible to students, professors, and the public for free. The Affordable College Textbook Act would authorize a competitive grant program to support the creation of and expand the use of open college textbooks – textbooks that are available under an open license, allowing professors, students, researchers, and others to freely access the materials.

“Textbooks are a central part of a college education – but for students already struggling to keep up with the high cost of college, they are also another expense to worry about,” said Senator King. “Let’s take this step to provide real relief for college students so they can focus on what really matters: their studies.”

Textbook costs are one of the most overlooked costs of going to college, but they can be substantial and can be a barrier to attaining a college education. According to The College Board, the average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2017 2018 academic year was $1,240 at four-year public institutions. According to a survey by U.S. Public Interest Research Group (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.

Over Fiscal years 2018 and 2019, Senator King worked to secure $10 million for a new Open Textbooks Pilot program based on the Affordable College Textbooks Act. Grants have been awarded to three projects – led by the University of California-Davis, Arizona State University, and Chippewa Valley Technical College – which project to achieve $30 million in cumulative savings for students over five years.

Specifically, the Affordable College Textbook Act:

• Authorizes a grant program, similar to the Open Textbooks Pilot, to support projects at colleges and universities to create and expand the use of open textbooks with priority for projects that will achieve the highest savings for students;
• Ensures that any open textbooks or educational materials created using grant funds will be freely and easily accessible to the public, including individuals with disabilities;
• Requires entities who receive funds to complete a report on the effectiveness of the program in achieving savings for students;
• Improves and updates existing requirements for publishers and institutions that provide information on textbook costs for required materials to students on course schedules; and
• Requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress with an update on the price trends of college textbooks and implementation of the disclosure requirements.

The Affordable College Textbook Act is supported by U.S. PIRG, Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition, National Association of College Stores, Association of Big Ten Students, Young Invincibles, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, UNCF, Creative Commons, Association of Research Libraries, and the Association of College & Research Libraries, and CAST.

Joining Senator King in support of the legislation are Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-Colo.).