Affordable College Textbook Act

3/21/2025, 4:08 AM

Summary of Bill S 740

Bill 119 s 740, also known as the Open Textbook Pilot Act, aims to increase the availability and use of open textbooks in order to save students money and provide better information on textbook prices. Open textbooks are educational materials that are freely available online and can be accessed and used by anyone.

The bill proposes the creation of a pilot program that would award grants to institutions of higher education to support the adoption, use, and creation of open textbooks. These grants would be used to incentivize faculty to adopt open textbooks in their courses, as well as to support the development of new open textbooks.

The goal of the pilot program is to reduce the financial burden on students by providing them with free or low-cost textbooks. By increasing the use of open textbooks, students would no longer have to purchase expensive traditional textbooks, which can cost hundreds of dollars each semester. Additionally, the bill aims to improve transparency around textbook prices by requiring publishers to provide information on the cost of textbooks to faculty and students. This would help students make more informed decisions when purchasing textbooks and hold publishers accountable for the rising costs of educational materials. Overall, Bill 119 s 740 seeks to promote the use of open textbooks as a cost-effective and accessible alternative to traditional textbooks, ultimately benefiting students and improving the affordability of higher education.

Current Status of Bill S 740

Bill S 740 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since February 26, 2025. Bill S 740 was introduced during Congress 119 and was introduced to the Senate on February 26, 2025.  Bill S 740's most recent activity was Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1398-1399) as of February 26, 2025

Bipartisan Support of Bill S 740

Total Number of Sponsors
2
Democrat Sponsors
2
Republican Sponsors
0
Unaffiliated Sponsors
0
Total Number of Cosponsors
3
Democrat Cosponsors
2
Republican Cosponsors
0
Unaffiliated Cosponsors
1

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 740

Primary Policy Focus


Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 740

A bill to expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students and improve textbook price information.A bill to expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students and improve textbook price information.
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