H.R. 6686 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Education and Workforce, Dec 12, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryGrants for free college textbook alternatives
This bill would let the Institute of Museum and Library Services give grants to colleges and universities to help them use, adapt, and create free digital textbooks. The goal is to support science, technology, engineering, and math courses that rely entirely on these free materials instead of expensive textbooks that students have to buy.
How it affects you
College students, especially those studying science, technology, engineering, or math, could benefit if their schools use these grants to switch to free textbooks. This could reduce what you pay for course materials, though the bill doesn't guarantee any specific college will participate or that all your courses will use free resources.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Dec 12, 2025)
No Cost Educational Resources Act of 2025
This bill authorizes the Institute of Museum and Library Services to award grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) for facilitating the adoption, adaption, and creation of open educational reading materials and establishing more open educational reading material courses.
Open educational reading material refers to a free digital text that is publicly available to be downloaded and redistributed.
Open educational reading material course refers to a science, technology, engineering, or math course offered by an IHE that uses only open educational reading materials as the form of the required readings for the course.
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. 6686
A BILL
No Cost Educational Resources Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL-11) · Introduced Dec 12, 2025 · Education · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 12, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.”