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119-hr-1886119th CongressWALLET

Affordable College Textbook Act

Sponsored By: Representative Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Introduced

Summary

Expand open textbooks and open educational resources to cut student costs and boost price transparency. This bill would create a competitive Department of Education grant program and tighten course-material disclosure rules to lower what students pay for textbooks and digital materials.

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  • Students and families: Grants and clearer price listings would aim to reduce textbook costs by promoting free or low-cost open textbooks and by showing retail prices and fees for required materials.
  • Colleges and faculty: Eligible institutions could win funds for creating or adapting open textbooks, training faculty, and building accessible supplemental materials. New works must be released under a royalty-free public license so others can reuse them.
  • Campus bookstores and administrators: Institutions receiving federal aid must help bookstores get course schedules and materials data so bookstores can verify availability and source lower-cost formats.
  • Policymakers and researchers: The Secretary must report to Congress starting two years after enactment and annually. The Government Accountability Office must review textbook costs within three years and then every year.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Grants to create free college textbooks

If enacted, the Education Department would give competitive grants to colleges to create and adapt open textbooks and course materials. Any funded materials would be free to the public, editable, and accessible, with open licenses. If your school won a grant, you could pay less for books, possibly saving a few hundred dollars in some classes. The program would run only if Congress provides funding.

More textbook price info for students

If enacted, colleges that get federal aid would need to show, on or linked from each course’s online schedule, the ISBN, retail price, any fees, and whether a material is an open resource. For digital materials, they would also link to the publisher’s student data collection and use terms, including any opt-out. The bill would treat textbooks to include print, access codes, and electronic materials, and it would add available open educational resources to what schools identify. Schools would need to help campus bookstores get course and enrollment info so they can verify supply and offer lower-cost options. These steps could help you compare prices and pick cheaper or free materials before you buy.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

CO • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 9/2/2026

  • Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]

    KS • D

    Sponsored 9/2/2026

  • Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 9/2/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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