I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1752

To provide for the purchase of textbooks and the establishment of the 

Textbook Recycling Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2003

Mr. NADLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL

To provide for the purchase of textbooks and the establishment of the Textbook Recycling Program, and for other 

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Building Opportunities 

5 for Our Kids Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURCHASE OF TEXTBOOKS. 

7 Section 1002 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6302) is amended by add9 ing at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(j) PURCHASING TEXTBOOKS.—For the purpose of 

2 purchasing textbooks under part A for use by schools that 

3 are eligible to receive funds under section 1114, there are 

4 authorized to be appropriated (in addition to amounts au5 thorized to be appropriated for such purpose under sub6 section (a)) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 

7 through 2008.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. TEXTBOOK RECYCLING PROGRAM. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Education 

10 shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Textbook 

11 Recycling Program’’, to facilitate the donation of text12 books by any local educational agency to any other local 

13 educational agency for use by schools that are eligible to 

14 receive funds under section 1114 of the Elementary and 

15 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314). 

16 (b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 

17 term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given to 

18 that term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec19 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

20 SEC. 4. STUDY ON CONDITION OF TEXTBOOKS. 

21 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

23 United States shall submit to the Congress and the Sec24 retary of Education a report on the condition of textbooks 
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1 used in public elementary schools and public secondary 

2 schools, including the following: 

3 (1) The range in age and the average age of 

4 textbooks used. 

5 (2) The average number of years of use of a 

6 textbook, including such number for each of the sub7 jects of mathematics, reading, social studies, and 

8 science. 

9 (3) The number and percentage of teachers who 

10 report using textbooks that are—

11 (A) more than 10 years old; and 

12 (B) more than 15 years old. 

13 (4) The number and percentage of classrooms 

14 that have fewer textbooks than students. 

15 (5) The number and percentage of teachers who 

16 report using their own money to buy textbooks. 

17 (6) The number and percentage of teachers who 

18 report that the textbooks they use are inadequate in 

19 addressing the curricula and requirements mandated 

20 by State educational standards. 

21 (7) The amount that each State provides for 

22 textbooks for each student in public elementary 

23 school or public secondary school. 

24 (8) The number and percentage of public ele25 mentary schools and public secondary schools that 
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1 require parents to pay the full or partial cost of 

2 their children’s textbooks. 

3 (b) DISAGGREGATION.—For purposes of the report 

4 required under this section, the Comptroller General of the 

5 United States shall disaggregate the data described in 

6 subsection (a) for public elementary schools and public 

7 secondary schools that are eligible to receive funds under 

8 section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

9 Act (20 U.S.C. 6314) as compared to public elementary 

10 schools and public secondary schools that are not eligible 

11 to receive such funds. 

12 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘ele13 mentary school’’ and ‘‘secondary school’’ have the mean14 ings given to those terms in section 9101 of the Elemen15 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 7801).

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