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 establish-
ment of the Textbook Recycling Program, and for other 
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Building Opportunities 
for Our Kids Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURCHASE OF TEXTBOOKS. 
Section 1002 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6302) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘(j) PURCHASING TEXTBOOKS.—For the purpose of 
purchasing textbooks under part A for use by schools that 
are eligible to receive funds under section 1114, there are 
authorized to be appropriated (in addition to amounts au-
thorized to be appropriated for such purpose under sub-
section (a)) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 
through 2008.’’. 
SEC. 3. TEXTBOOK RECYCLING PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Education 
shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Textbook 
Recycling Program’’, to facilitate the donation of text-
books by any local educational agency to any other local 
educational agency for use by schools that are eligible to 
receive funds under section 1114 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314). 
(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given to 
that term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
SEC. 4. STUDY ON CONDITION OF TEXTBOOKS. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to the Congress and the Sec-
retary of Education a report on the condition of textbooks
used in public elementary schools and public secondary 
schools, including the following: 
(1) The range in age and the average age of 
textbooks used. 
(2) The average number of years of use of a 
textbook, including such number for each of the sub-
jects of mathematics, reading, social studies, and 
science. 
(3) The number and percentage of teachers who 
report using textbooks that are—
(A) more than 10 years old; and 
(B) more than 15 years old. 
(4) The number and percentage of classrooms 
that have fewer textbooks than students. 
(5) The number and percentage of teachers who 
report using their own money to buy textbooks. 
(6) The number and percentage of teachers who 
report that the textbooks they use are inadequate in 
addressing the curricula and requirements mandated 
by State educational standards. 
(7) The amount that each State provides for 
textbooks for each student in public elementary 
school or public secondary school. 
(8) The number and percentage of public ele-
mentary schools and public secondary schools that
require parents to pay the full or partial cost of 
their children’s textbooks. 
(b) DISAGGREGATION.—For purposes of the report 
required under this section, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall disaggregate the data described in 
subsection (a) for public elementary schools and public 
secondary schools that are eligible to receive funds under 
section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 6314) as compared to public elementary 
schools and public secondary schools that are not eligible 
to receive such funds. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘ele-
mentary school’’ and ‘‘secondary school’’ have the mean-
ings given to those terms in section 9101 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801).
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