Affordable College Textbook Act

The Affordable College Textbook Act would establish a federal grant program through the Department of Education to help colleges and universities adopt open textbooks. Open textbooks are educational materials that are either in the public domain or released under licenses allowing free use, modification, and sharing. Colleges and states could apply for these grants to support projects expanding open textbook usage on their campuses.

If enacted, this bill would aim to address rising textbook costs for students by promoting alternatives to expensive traditional textbooks. The bill would also require the Government Accountability Office to study and report on college textbook costs within three years, examining factors that have contributed to price increases over time. This analysis could inform future policy decisions about affordability in higher education.

Currently, the bill has only been introduced in the Senate and has not advanced to committee review. Most introduced bills do not progress further in the legislative process.