Durbin helps introduce legislation to make college textbooks more affordable

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), and Angus King (I-ME) will hold a conference call with press to discuss their legislation designed to help students manage costs by making high quality textbooks easily accessible to students, professors, and the public for free. This bill, known as the Affordable College Textbook Act, would create a competitive grant program to support the creation and use of open college textbooks—textbooks that are available under an open license, allowing professors, students, researchers, and others to freely access the materials.

Textbook costs are one of the most overlooked costs of going to college, but they can be substantial and can be a barrier to attaining a college education. According to College Board, the average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2015-2016 academic year was $1,250.

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