S. 740: Affordable College Textbook Act
A Senate bill (S.) in the 119th U.S. Congress.
Overview
| Congress | 119th U.S. Congress (2025–2026) |
|---|---|
| Type | Senate bill (S.) |
| Originating chamber | Senate |
| Introduced | 2025-02-26 |
| Sponsor | Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] |
| Policy area | Education |
| Cosponsors | 3 |
| Latest action | 2025-02-26 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1398-1399) |
| Last updated | 2026-02-06 |
Summary
Official summary (Introduced in Senate, 2025-02-26):
Affordable College Textbook Act
This bill provides statutory authority for an open textbook grant program for institutions of higher education (IHEs). (A similar program, known as the Open Textbooks Pilot program, first received federal funding in FY2018.)
Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to IHEs or states on behalf of IHEs to support projects that expand the use of open textbooks. An open textbook is an educational resource that either resides in the public domain or has been released under an intellectual license that permits its free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others.
Within three years of the bill's enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the cost of textbooks at IHEs. This report must examine, among other topics, the factors that have contributed to the change in the cost of textbooks.
Cosponsors (3)
| Name | Party / state |
|---|---|
| Angus S. King, Jr. | I ME (original cosponsor) 2025-02-26 |
| Tina Smith | D MN (original cosponsor) 2025-02-26 |
| Ron Wyden | D OR (original cosponsor) 2025-02-26 |
Full text & official record
The official bill text, section-by-section summary, amendments, committee reports, and the complete legislative timeline for S. 740 are published by Congress on congress.gov.
Frequently asked questions
What is S. 740?
S. 740 is a Senate bill (S.) introduced in the 119th U.S. Congress, originating in the Senate. Official title: Affordable College Textbook Act.
Where can I read the full bill text?
The full text, cosponsors, amendments, and legislative status for S. 740 are available on congress.gov.
Bill data: congress.gov API (official congressional records).