offered by the eligible entity, including an esti-
mate of the projected savings that will be 
achieved for students; 
(B) a plan for evaluating, before creating 
new open educational resources, whether exist-
ing open educational resources could be used or 
adapted for the same purpose; 
(C) a plan for quality review and review of 
accuracy of any open educational resources to 
be created or adapted through the grant; 
(D) a plan for disseminating information 
about the results of the project to institutions 
of higher education outside of the eligible enti-
ty, including promoting the adoption of any 
open textbooks created or adapted through the 
grant; and 
(E) a statement on consultation with rel-
evant faculty, including those engaged in the 
creation of open educational resources, in the 
development of the application. 
(d) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—In awarding grants 
under this section, the Secretary shall give special consid-
eration to applications that demonstrate the greatest po-
tential to— 
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(1) achieve the highest level of savings for stu-
dents through sustainable expanded use of open 
textbooks in postsecondary courses offered by the el-
igible entity; 
(2) expand the use of open textbooks at institu-
tions of higher education outside of the eligible enti-
ty; and 
(3) produce— 
(A) the highest quality open textbooks; 
(B) open textbooks that can be most easily 
utilized and adapted by faculty members at in-
stitutions of higher education; 
(C) open textbooks that correspond to the 
highest enrollment courses at institutions of 
higher education; and 
(D) open textbooks created or adapted in 
partnership with entities, including campus 
bookstores, that will assist in marketing and 
distribution of the open textbook. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 
a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to 
carry out any of the following activities to expand the use 
of open textbooks: 
(1) Professional development for any faculty 
and staff members at institutions of higher edu-
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cation, including the search for and review of open 
textbooks. 
(2) Creation or adaptation of open educational 
resources, especially open textbooks. 
(3) Development or improvement of tools and 
informational resources that support the use of open 
textbooks. 
(4) Research evaluating the efficacy of the use 
of open textbooks for achieving savings for students. 
(5) Partnerships with other entities, including 
other institutions of higher education, for-profit or-
ganizations, or nonprofit organizations, to carry out 
any of the activities described in paragraphs (1) 
through (4). 
(f) LICENSE.—Educational resources created under 
subsection (e) shall be licensed under a non-exclusive, per-
manent license to the public to exercise any of the rights 
under copyright conditioned only on the requirement that 
attribution be given as directed by the copyright owner. 
(g) ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION.—The full and com-
plete digital content of each educational resource created 
or adapted under subsection (e) shall be made available 
free of charge to the public— 
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(1) on an easily accessible and interoperable 
website, which shall be identified to the Secretary by 
the eligible entity; and 
(2) in a machine readable, digital format that 
anyone can directly download, edit with attribution, 
and redistribute. 
(h) REPORT.—Upon an eligible entity’s completion of 
a project supported under this section, the eligible entity 
shall prepare and submit a report to the Secretary regard-
ing— 
(1) the effectiveness of the pilot program in ex-
panding the use of open textbooks and in achieving 
savings for students; 
(2) the impact of the pilot program on expand-
ing the use of open textbooks at institutions of high-
er education outside of the eligible entity; 
(3) educational resources created or adapted 
under the grant, including instructions on where the 
public can access each educational resource under 
the terms of subsection (g); and 
(4) all project costs, including the value of any 
volunteer labor and institutional capital used for the 
project. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
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essary to carry out this section for each of the 5 suc-
ceeding fiscal years after the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. PRICE INFORMATION. 
Section 133(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1015b(b)) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (6); and 
(2) in paragraph (9); 
(A) by striking subparagraphs (A) and 
(B); and 
(B) by striking ‘‘a college textbook that— 
’’ and inserting ‘‘a college textbook that may in-
clude printed materials, computer disks, website 
access, and electronically distributed mate-
rials.’’. 
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that institutions of higher 
education should encourage the consideration of open text-
books by faculty within the generally accepted principles 
of academic freedom that establishes the right and respon-
sibility of faculty members, individually and collectively, 
to select course materials that are pedagogically most ap-
propriate for their classes. 
SEC. 7. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a re-
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port to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives detail-
ing— 
(1) the open textbooks created or adapted 
under this Act; 
(2) the adoption of such open textbooks; and 
(3) the savings generated for students, States, 
and the Federal Government through the use of 
open textbooks. 
SEC. 8. GAO REPORT. 
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall prepare and submit a report to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives on the cost of textbooks to stu-
dents at institutions of higher education. The report shall 
particularly examine— 
(1) the change of the cost of textbooks; 
(2) the factors that have contributed to the 
change of the cost of textbooks; 
(3) the extent to which open textbooks are used 
at institutions of higher education; and 
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