Learning Opportunities With Creation of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2014

Summary: Learning Opportunities With Creation of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop high quality, college freshman-level, open source materials that: (1) contain, at minimum, a comprehensive set of textbooks or other educational materials covering topics in physics, chemistry, and calculus; (2) are posted on the Federal Open Source Material Website (Website); and (3) are free of copyright violations. Requires the Director to establish and maintain the Website. Requires materials on the Website to be made available free of charge. Allows those materials to be downloaded, redistributed, or revised by the public. Directs the head of each federal agency that spends more than a specified amount in a fiscal year on scientific education or research to use at least 2% of those funds to collaborate with the heads of other such agencies or any federally funded research and development center to develop and implement procedures for checking the veracity, accuracy, and educational effectiveness of open source materials that are posted on the Website.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Learning Opportunities With Creation 
of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the College Board, that the average 
        student at a 4-year university spent an estimated $1,222 per 
        year on college books and supplies.
            (2) According to the National Association of College 
        Stores, the gross margin on new college textbooks was 25.6 
        percent in 2012.
            (3) The Government Accountability Office has found that 
        college textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of annual 
        inflation over the last two decades and that new textbook 
        prices increased 82 percent over the last decade.
            (4) An open source material project that would make high 
        quality educational materials freely available to the general 
        public would reduce college textbook costs and increase 
        accessibility to such education materials.
            (5) College-level open source course work materials in 
        math, physics, and chemistry represent a high-priority first 
        step in this area.
            (6) The scientific and technical workforce at Federal 
        agencies, national laboratories, and federally funded research 
        and development centers could make a valuable contribution to 
        this effort.
            (7) A Federal oversight role in the creation and 
        maintenance of standard, publicly vetted textbooks is desirable 
        to ensure that intellectual property is respected and that 
        public standards for quality, educational effectiveness, and 
        scientific accuracy are maintained.

SEC. 3. OPEN SOURCE MATERIAL PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Director shall begin development of college freshman-
level, high quality, open source materials that--
            (1) contain, at minimum, a comprehensive set of textbooks 
        or other educational materials covering topics in physics, 
        chemistry, and calculus;
            (2) are posted on the Federal Open Source Material Website; 
        and
            (3) are free of copyright violations.
    (b) Posting Deadline.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall have posted the materials 
described in subsection (a) on the Federal Open Source Material 
Website.
    (c) Screening Procedures.--Before publishing materials on the 
Federal Open Source Material Website, the Director shall, in 
collaboration with the agencies described in section 5(b), develop, 
implement, and establish procedures for checking the veracity, 
accuracy, and educational effectiveness of open source materials.

SEC. 4. FEDERAL OPEN SOURCE MATERIAL WEBSITE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish and maintain a 
Federal Open Source Material Website.
    (b) Availability of Materials.--Materials in the Federal Open 
Source Material Website shall be made available free of charge to, and 
may be downloaded, redistributed, changed, revised, or otherwise 
altered by, any member of the general public.

SEC. 5. OPEN SOURCE MATERIAL REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Requirement.--The head of each agency described in subsection 
(b) shall, under the guidance of the Director, collaborate with the 
heads of any other such agency or any federally funded research and 
development center to develop, implement, and establish procedures for 
checking the veracity, accuracy, and educational effectiveness of open 
source materials that are posted on the Federal Open Source Material 
Website.
    (b) Agency Funding.--The head of each agency that expends more than 
$10,000,000 in a fiscal year on scientific education or scientific 
outreach shall use at least 2 percent of such funds for collaboration 
described in subsection (a).

SEC. 6. REGULATIONS.

    The Director shall prescribe regulations necessary to implement 
this Act, including redistribution and attribution standards for open 
source materials produced under this Act.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Science Foundation.
            (2) Federal open source material website.--The term 
        ``Federal Open Source Material Website'' means the website 
        established under section 4(a).
            (3) High quality.--The term ``high quality'' means--
                    (A) tested for optimal student engagement;
                    (B) tested for optimal content consumption;
                    (C) subjected to an editorial peer review process; 
                and
                    (D) free of copyright violations.
            (4) Open source materials.--The term ``open source 
        materials'' means materials that are posted on a website that 
        are available free of charge to, and may be downloaded, 
        redistributed changed, revised, or otherwise altered by, any 
        member of the general public.

SEC. 8. GAO REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Not later than July 1, 2018, the Comptroller General shall prepare 
and submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives detailing--
            (1) the open source materials created or adapted under this 
        Act;
            (2) the adoption of such open source materials; and
            (3) the savings generated for students, States, and the 
        Federal Government through the use of open source materials.