H.R. 1886 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Education and Workforce, Mar 5, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFederal grants for free college textbooks
This bill sets up a grant program where the Department of Education gives money to colleges and states to help them use open textbooks—textbooks that are free and can be shared, modified, and used by anyone. The bill also requires a government report within three years that looks at why college textbook prices have changed over time.
How it affects you
College students and their families could see lower textbook costs if their school uses these grants to switch to free open textbooks instead of expensive commercial ones. Schools would need to apply for the grants and choose to participate in the program.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 5, 2025)
Affordable College Textbook Act
This bill provides statutory authority for an open textbook grant program for institutions of higher education (IHEs). (A similar program, known as the Open Textbooks Pilot program, first received federal funding in FY2018.)
Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to IHEs or states on behalf of IHEs to support projects that expand the use of open textbooks. 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.
Within three years of the bill's enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the cost of textbooks at IHEs. This report must examine, among other topics, the factors that have contributed to the change in the cost of textbooks.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1886
A BILL
Affordable College Textbook Act
Sponsor: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) · Introduced Mar 5, 2025 · Education · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 5, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.”