395 
(b) PROVISIONS OF AGREEMENT.—Section 112(b) of 
the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4332(b)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or other gov-
erning body of the institution’’ and inserting ‘‘of the 
Rochester Institute of Technology’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or other governing body of 
the institution’’ and inserting ‘‘of the Rochester 
Institute of Technology’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘the institution of higher 
education under the agreement with the Sec-
retary’’ and inserting ‘‘the Rochester Institute of 
Technology by the National Technical Institute 
for the Deaf’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education 
and Labor of the House of Representatives and 
to the Committee on Labor and Human Re-
sources of the Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
Representatives and to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate’’. 
(c) LIMITATION.—Section 112(c) of the Education of 
the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4332(c)) is amended in 
paragraphs (1) and (2) by striking ‘‘institution’’ each place
396 
it appears and inserting ‘‘Rochester Institute of Tech-
nology’’. 
SEC. 904. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 201 of the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 
(20 U.S.C. 4351) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (3); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) 
as paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(7) The term ‘RIT’ means the Rochester Insti-
tute of Technology.’’. 
SEC. 905. AUDIT. 
(a) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE AUTHOR-
ITY.—Section 203(a) of the Education of the Deaf Act of 
1986 (20 U.S.C. 4353(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GENERAL AC-
COUNTING OFFICE’’ and inserting ‘‘GOVERNMENT AC-
COUNTABILITY OFFICE’’; and 
(2) in the matter following paragraph (2), by 
striking ‘‘General Accounting Office’’ and inserting 
‘‘Government Accountability Office’’. 
(b) INDEPENDENT
FINANCIAL
AND
COMPLIANCE 
AUDIT.—Section 203(b)(1) of the Education of the Deaf Act 
of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4353(b)(1)) is amended by striking the
397 
second sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘NTID shall 
have an annual independent financial and compliance 
audit made of RIT programs and activities, including 
NTID programs and activities.’’. 
(c) COMPLIANCE.—Section 203(b)(2) of the Education 
of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4353(b)(2)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘sections’’ and all that follows through ‘‘section 
207’’ and inserting ‘‘sections 102(b), 105(b)(4), 112(b)(5), 
203(c), 207(b)(2), subsections (c) through (f) of section 207’’. 
(d) SUBMISSION OF AUDITS.—Section 203(b)(3) of the 
Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4353(b)(3)) 
is amended— 
(1) by inserting after ‘‘Secretary’’ the following: 
‘‘and the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘or the institution authorized to 
establish and operate the NTID under section 112(a)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘or RIT’’. 
(e) LIMITATIONS
REGARDING
EXPENDITURE
OF 
FUNDS.—Section 203(c)(2)(A) of the Education of the Deaf 
Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4353(c)(2)(A)) is amended in the 
fifth sentence by striking ‘‘the Committee on Education and 
Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee
398 
on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate’’. 
SEC. 906. REPORTS. 
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 204 of the 
Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4354) is 
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or other governing body of the 
institution of higher education with which the Sec-
retary has an agreement under section 112’’ and in-
serting ‘‘of RIT’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education and 
Labor of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate’’. 
(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Section 204 of the Edu-
cation of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4354) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘upon 
graduation/completion’’ and inserting ‘‘within one 
year of graduation/completion’’; and
399 
(2) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ‘‘of the in-
stitution of higher education with which the Secretary 
has an agreement under section 112, including spe-
cific schedules and analyses for all NTID funds, as 
required under section 203’’ and inserting ‘‘of RIT 
programs and activities’’. 
SEC. 907. LIAISON FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. 
Section 206(a) of the Education of the Deaf Act of 
1986 (20 U.S.C. 4356(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Not later 
than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the’’ 
and inserting ‘‘The’’. 
SEC. 908. FEDERAL ENDOWMENT PROGRAMS FOR GAL-
LAUDET UNIVERSITY AND THE NATIONAL 
TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF. 
Section 207(a)(2) of the Education of the Deaf Act of 
1986 (20 U.S.C. 4357(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘or 
other governing body of the institution of higher education 
with which the Secretary has an agreement under section 
112’’ and inserting ‘‘of RIT’’. 
SEC. 909. OVERSIGHT AND EFFECT OF AGREEMENTS. 
Section 208(a) of the Education of the Deaf Act of 
1986 (20 U.S.C. 4359(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the institution of higher edu-
cation with which the Secretary has an agreement 
under part B of title I’’ and inserting ‘‘RIT’’; and
400 
(2) by striking ‘‘Committee on Labor and 
Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Rep-
resentatives’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee on Education 
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate’’. 
SEC. 910. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) MONITORING AND EVALUATION ACTIVITIES.—Sec-
tion 205(c) of the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 
U.S.C. 4355(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal years 1998 
through 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2006 through 
2011’’. 
(b) FEDERAL ENDOWMENT PROGRAMS
FOR GAL-
LAUDET UNIVERSITY AND THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL IN-
STITUTE FOR THE DEAF.—Section 207(h) of the Education 
of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4357(h)) is amended 
in paragraphs (1) and (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 1998 
through 2003’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘fiscal 
years 2006 through 2011’’. 
(c) GENERAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
Section 212 of the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (20 
U.S.C. 4360a) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) in 
subsection (a), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 1998 through
401 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2006 through 
2011’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 
1998 through 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2006 
through 2011’’. 
(d) SHORT TITLE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Education of the Deaf 
Act of 1986 (20 U.S.C. 4301 note) is amended by 
striking the matter preceding title I and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This Act may be cited as the ‘Gallaudet University 
and National Technical Institute for the Deaf Act’.’’. 
(2) OTHER REFERENCES.— Any reference in a 
law, regulation, document, or other record of the 
United States to the Education of the Deaf Act of 
1986 shall be deemed to be a reference to the Gal-
laudet University and National Technical Institute 
for the Deaf Act. 
PART B—ADDITIONAL EDUCATION LAWS 
SEC. 921. CANCELLATION OF STUDENT LOAN INDEBTED-
NESS FOR SURVIVORS OF VICTIMS OF THE 
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, ATTACKS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:
402 
(1) ELIGIBLE PUBLIC SERVANT.—The term ‘‘eli-
gible public sesrvant’’ means an individual who, as 
determined in accordance with regulations of the Sec-
retary— 
(A) served as a police officer, firefighter, 
other safety or rescue personnel, or as a member 
of the Armed Forces; and 
(B) died (or dies) or became (or becomes) 
permanently and totally disabled due to injuries 
suffered in the terrorist attack on September 11, 
2001. 
(2) ELIGIBLE VICTIM.—The term ‘‘eligible vic-
tim’’ means an individual who, as determined in ac-
cordance with regulations of the Secretary, died (or 
dies) or became (or becomes) permanently and totally 
disabled due to injuries suffered in the terrorist attack 
on September 11, 2001. 
(3) ELIGIBLE PARENT.—The term ‘‘eligible par-
ent’’ means the parent of an eligible victim if— 
(A) the parent owes a Federal student loan 
that is a consolidation loan that was used to 
repay a PLUS loan incurred on behalf of such 
eligible victim; or
403 
(B) the parent owes a Federal student loan 
that is a PLUS loan incurred on behalf of an el-
igible victim. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(5) FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral student loan’’ means any loan made, insured, or 
guaranteed under part B, D, or E of title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965. 
(b) RELIEF FROM INDEBTEDNESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 
for the discharge or cancellation of— 
(A) the Federal student loan indebtedness of 
the spouse of an eligible public servant, as deter-
mined in accordance with regulations of the Sec-
retary, including any consolidation loan that 
was used jointly by the eligible public servant 
and his or her spouse to repay the Federal stu-
dent loans of the spouse and the eligible public 
servant; 
(B) the portion incurred on behalf of the eli-
gible victim (other than an eligible public serv-
ant), of a Federal student loan that is a consoli-
dation loan that was used jointly by the eligible 
victim and his or her spouse, as determined in
404 
accordance with regulations of the Secretary, to 
repay the Federal student loans of the eligible 
victim and his or her spouse; 
(C) the portion of the consolidation loan in-
debtedness of an eligible parent that was in-
curred on behalf of an eligible victim; and 
(D) the PLUS loan indebtedness of an eligi-
ble parent that was incurred on behalf of an eli-
gible victim. 
(2) METHOD
OF
DISCHARGE
OR
CANCELLA-
TION.—A loan required to be discharged or canceled 
under paragraph (1) shall be discharged or canceled 
by the method used under section 437(a), 455(a)(1), 
or 464(c)(1)(F) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087(a), 1087e(a)(1), 1087dd(c)(1)(F)), 
whichever is applicable to such loan. 
(c) FACILITATION OF CLAIMS.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) establish procedures for the filing of applica-
tions for discharge or cancellation under this section 
by regulations that shall be prescribed and published 
within 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act 
and without regard to the requirements of section 553 
of title 5, United States Code; and 
(2) take such actions as may be necessary to 
publicize the availability of discharge or cancellation
405 
of Federal student loan indebtedness under this sec-
tion. 
(d) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR PAYMENTS.—Funds 
available for the purposes of making payments to lenders 
in accordance with section 437(a) for the discharge of in-
debtedness of deceased or disabled individuals shall be avail-
able for making payments under section 437(a) to lenders 
of loans as required by this section. 
(e) APPLICABLE TO OUTSTANDING DEBT.—The provi-
sions of this section shall be applied to discharge or cancel 
only Federal student loans (including consolidation loans) 
on which amounts were owed on September 11, 2001. Noth-
ing in this section shall be construed to authorize any re-
funding of any repayment of a loan. 
SEC. 922. AMENDMENT TO HIGHER EDUCATION AMEND-
MENTS OF 1998. 
(a) REPEALS OF EXPIRED AND EXECUTED PROVI-
SIONS.—The following provisions of the Higher Education 
Amendments of 1998 are repealed: 
(1) STUDY OF MARKET MECHANISMS IN FEDERAL 
STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS.—Section 801 (20 U.S.C. 
1018 note). 
(2) STUDY OF FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATE FI-
NANCIAL
INSTRUMENTS
FOR
DETERMINING
LENDER 
YIELDS.—Section 802.
406 
(3) STUDENT RELATED DEBT STUDY.—Section 
803 (20 U.S.C. 1015 note). 
(4) STUDY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPA-
TION
IN
ATHLETIC
PROGRAMS.—Section 805 (20 
U.S.C. 1001 note). 
(5) COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP MOBILIZATION.— 
Part C of title VIII (20 U.S.C. 1070 note). 
(6) INCARCERATED YOUTH.—Part D of title VIII 
(20 U.S.C. 1151). 
(7) IMPROVING UNITED STATES UNDERSTANDING 
OF
SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND
TECHNOLOGY
IN 
EAST ASIA.—Part F of title VIII (42 U.S.C. 1862 
note). 
(8) WEB-BASED EDUCATION COMMISSION.—Part 
J of title VIII. 
(b) EXTENSIONS
OF AUTHORIZATIONS
AND STUD-
IES.— 
(1) TRANSFER OF CREDIT.—Section 804(b) of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 1099b note) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘September 
30, 2007’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and policies of institu-
tions of higher education’’ after ‘‘agencies or as-
sociations’’.
407 
(2) COHORT
DEFAULT
RATE
STUDY.—Section 
806 of such Act is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘higher 
education at which less’’ and inserting ‘‘higher 
education. The study shall also review the effect 
of cohort default rates specifically on institutions 
of higher education at which less’’; and 
(B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Sep-
tember 30, 1999,’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 
2007,’’. 
(3) VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.—Section 826 of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 1152) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘for each 
of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005’’ and in-
serting ‘‘fiscal year 2006 and each of the 5 suc-
ceeding fiscal years’’; and 
(B) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) 
as subsections (e) and (f), respectively. 
(4) UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD.—Subsection (c) 
of section 841 (20 U.S.C. 1153(c)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’.
408 
(c) DISBURSEMENT
OF STUDENT LOANS.—Section 
422(d) of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (Pub-
lic Law 105–244; 112 Stat. 1696) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new sentence: ‘‘Such amendments 
shall also be effective on and after July 1, 2006.’’. 
SEC. 923. TRIBALLY CONTROLLED COLLEGE OR UNIVER-
SITY ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1978. 
(a) TITLE I AUTHORIZATION.—Section 110(a) of the 
Tribally Controlled Community College or University As-
sistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1810(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘1999’’ each place it appears and 
inserting ‘‘2006’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘5 succeeding’’. 
(b) TITLE III REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 306(a) of 
the Tribally Controlled Community College or University 
Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1836(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2006’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ and inserting ‘‘5 
succeeding’’. 
(c) TITLE IV REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 403 of the 
Tribal Economic Development and Technology Related 
Education Assistance Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. 1852) is 
amended—
409 
(1) by striking ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2006’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ and inserting ‘‘5 
succeeding’’. 
(d) ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS.—The Tribally Con-
trolled Community College or University Assistance Act of 
1978 is further amended— 
(1) in section 2(a)(6) (25 U.S.C. 1801(a)(6)), by 
striking ‘‘in the field of Indian education’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘in the field of Tribal Colleges and Universities 
and Indian higher education’’; 
(2) in section 2(b), by striking paragraph (5) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(5) Eligible credits earned in a continuing edu-
cation program shall be determined as one credit for 
every 10 contact hours for institutions on a quarter 
system, and 15 contact hours for institutions on a se-
mester system, of participation in an organized con-
tinuing education experience under responsible spon-
sorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction, 
as described in the criteria established by the Inter-
national Association for Continuing Education and 
Training, and may not exceed 20 percent of an insti-
tution’s total Indian student count.’’; and
410 
(3) in section 103 (25 U.S.C. 1804), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (2), by striking the pe-
riod at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’, and by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) has been accredited by a nationally recog-
nized accrediting agency or association determined by 
the Secretary of Education to be a reliable authority 
as to the quality of training offered, or is, according 
to such an agency or association, making reasonable 
progress toward accreditation.’’. 
SEC. 924. NAVAJO COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACT. 
Section 5(a)(1) of the Navajo Community College Act 
(25 U.S.C. 640c–1(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2006’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ and inserting ‘‘5 
succeeding’’. 
SEC. 925. EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1992. 
Section 1543(d) of the Education Amendments of 1992 
(20 U.S.C. 1070 note) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2006’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ and inserting ‘‘5 
succeeding’’.
411 
SEC. 926. STUDY OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND 
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall provide 
for the conduct a study of the best practices of States in 
assessing undergraduate postsecondary student learning, 
particularly as such practices relate to public account-
ability systems. 
(b) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSOCIATION.—Such 
study shall be conducted by an association or organization 
with specific expertise and knowledge in state practices and 
access to necessary state officials (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘association’’). The association responsible for the 
study under this section shall be a national, non-partisan 
or bi-partisan entity representing States or State officials 
with expertise in evaluative and qualitative policy research 
for best practice models, the capacity to convene experts, 
and to formulate policy recommendations. 
(c) REQUIRED SUBJECTS OF STUDY.—In performing 
the study, the association shall, at a minimum, examine 
the following: 
(1) The current status of institutional and state 
efforts to embed student learning assessments into the 
state-level public accountability frameworks. 
(2) The extent to which there is commonality 
among educators and accrediting agencies on learning 
standards for the associates and bachelors degrees.
412 
(3) The reliability, rigor, and generalizability of 
available instruments to assess general education at 
the undergraduate level. 
(4) Roles and responsibilities for public account-
ability for student learning. 
(d) CONSULTATION.— 
(1) NATIONAL
COMMITTEE.—The association 
shall establish and consult with a national committee. 
The committee shall meet not less than twice a year 
to review the research, identify best practice models, 
and review recommendations. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The national advisory com-
mittee shall consist of a representative of the Sec-
retary of Education and individuals with expertise 
in— 
(A) State accountability systems; 
(B) student learning assessments; 
(C) student flow data; 
(D) transitions between K–12 and higher 
education; and 
(E) Federal higher education policy. 
(3) ADDITIONAL
EXPERTISE.—The association 
may augment this committee with other expertise, as 
appropriate.
413 
(e) CONGRESSIONAL CONSULTATION.—The association 
shall consult on a regular basis with the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Health Education Labor and Pen-
sions of the Senate in carrying out the study required by 
this section. 
(f) REPORT.—The association shall, not later than two 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, prepare and 
submit a report on the study required by this section to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 
SEC. 927. STUDY OF MINORITY GRADUATION RATES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Education 
shall— 
(1) commission a national study on the decreas-
ing numbers of underrepresented minority males, par-
ticularly African American males, entering and grad-
uating from colleges and universities; and 
(2) make specific recommendations to the Con-
gress on new approaches to increase minority male 
graduation rates and the number of minority males 
going into careers where the population is underrep-
resented.
414 
(b) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit a report on the study required by subsection (a)(1), 
together with the recommendations required by subsection 
(a)(2), 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. 
SEC. 928. STUDY OF EDUCATION-RELATED INDEBTEDNESS 
OF MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Education 
shall conduct a study to evaluate the higher education-re-
lated indebtedness of medical school graduates in the United 
States at the time of graduation. 
(b) DEADLINE.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report 
on the study required by subsection (a) to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and 
Pensions of the Senate, and shall make the report widely 
available to the public. Additional reports may be periodi-
cally prepared and released as necessary. 
SEC. 929. STUDY OF ADULT LEARNERS. 
The Secretary of Education shall conduct a study of 
the developing trends in older adult learners attending col-
lege and how institutions of higher education are addressing
415 
the needs of this specific population in terms of outreach, 
accessibility, financing, and student support services, in-
cluding online education. The Secretary shall submit a re-
port on the study to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives that includes rec-
ommendations on measures the Federal Government can 
take to address the needs in regards to education and job 
training for the aging population and the changing demo-
graphics of our country. 
SEC. 930. INCREASE IN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK PRICES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives makes the fol-
lowing findings: 
(1) The rising costs of higher education are mak-
ing a postsecondary education inaccessible for many 
individuals. 
(2) The rise in college textbook pricing contrib-
utes to the overall costs of higher education, and 
many factors have contributed to the rise in textbook 
pricing. 
(b) SENSE OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND 
THE WORKFORCE.—It is the sense of the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce of the House of Representa-
tives that in order to make a higher education more acces-
416 
sible for all students, the following should occur to make 
college textbooks more affordable for students: 
(1) The Congress encourages textbook publishers 
to provide students with the option of buying mate-
rials such as textbooks, CD–ROMs, access to websites, 
and workbooks, ‘‘a la carte’’ or ‘‘unbundled’’. 
(2) Textbook publishers should work with faculty 
to understand the cost to students of purchasing the 
recommended textbooks. 
(3) College bookstores should work with faculty to 
review timelines and processes for ordering and stock-
ing selected textbooks, and disclose textbook costs to 
faculty and students. 
(4) Colleges and universities should be encour-
aged to implement numerous options to address text-
book affordability.
Union Calendar No. 128 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 609 
[Report No. 109–231] 
A BILL 
To amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 
1965. 
SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed