Bill Text: IL HB3247 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Open College Textbook Act. From appropriated amounts, authorizes the Board of Higher Education to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out described activities, including creating, updating, or adapting open textbooks (defined as a textbook or set of course materials in electronic format that is designed for use in a college course at an institution of higher education and that is licensed under an open license). Defines an "eligible entity" as (i) an institution of higher education in this State, (ii) a professor or group of professors at an institution of higher education in this State, or (iii) a nonprofit or for-profit organization that produces open textbooks. Requires the Board to award grants in a manner that will result in the creation of a comprehensive slate of high quality course materials for introductory courses in a variety of subject areas. Sets forth provisions concerning the duration of a grant, grant applications, requirements for grant recipients, a peer review and evaluation process, appropriations, licensing materials, and a report to the General Assembly. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HB3247 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HB3247-Introduced.html

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98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2013 and 2014 HB3247 Introduced , by Rep. Kenneth Dunkin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Open College Textbook Act. From appropriated amounts, authorizes the Board of Higher Education to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out described activities, including creating, updating, or adapting open textbooks (defined as a textbook or set of course materials in electronic format that is designed for use in a college course at an institution of higher education and that is licensed under an open license). Defines an "eligible entity" as (i) an institution of higher education in this State, (ii) a professor or group of professors at an institution of higher education in this State, or (iii) a nonprofit or for-profit organization that produces open textbooks. Requires the Board to award grants in a manner that will result in the creation of a comprehensive slate of high quality course materials for introductory courses in a variety of subject areas. Sets forth provisions concerning the duration of a grant, grant applications, requirements for grant recipients, a peer review and evaluation process, appropriations, licensing materials, and a report to the General Assembly. Effective immediately.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Open
College Textbook Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the
following:
(1) The growth of the Internet has enabled the creation
and sharing of open content, including open educational
resources.
(2) The President of the United States has proposed a
new, significant federal investment in the creation of
online open-source courses for community colleges that
will make learning more accessible, adaptable, and
affordable for students.
(3) The President has challenged the United States with
a goal of having the highest college graduation rate in the
world by 2020.
(4) More than 80% of the 23,000,000 jobs that will be
created in the next 10 years will require postsecondary
education, but only 36% of all 18 to 24-year-olds are
currently enrolled in postsecondary education
institutions.

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(5) The high cost of college textbooks continues to be
a barrier for many students in achieving higher education,
and, according to the Advisory Committee on Student
Financial Assistance, 200,000 qualified students fail to
enroll in college each year due to cost.
(6) The College Board reported that for the 2007-2008
academic year an average student spent an estimated $805 to
$1,229 on college books and supplies.
(7) Making high quality open textbooks freely
available to the general public could significantly lower
college textbook costs and increase accessibility to such
educational materials.
(8) Open textbooks can improve learning and teaching by
creating course materials that are more flexible,
adaptable, and accessible through the use of technology.
Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
"Board" means the Board of Higher Education.
"Open license" means an irrevocable intellectual property
license that grants the public the right to access, customize,
and distribute copyrighted material.
"Open textbook" means a textbook or set of course materials
in electronic format that is designed for use in a college
course at an institution of higher education and that is
licensed under an open license.

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Section 15. Grant program.
(a) In this Section, "eligible entity" means the following:
(1) an institution of higher education in this State;
(2) a professor or group of professors at an
institution of higher education in this State; or
(3) a nonprofit or for-profit organization that
produces open textbooks.
(b) From the amount authorized to be appropriated under
subsection (i) of this Section, the Board is authorized to
award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to
carry out the activities described in this Section, including
creating, updating, or adapting open textbooks. The Board shall
award grants in a manner that will result in the creation of a
comprehensive slate of high quality course materials for
introductory courses in a variety of subject areas.
(c) Grants awarded under this Section shall be one year in
duration.
(d) Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this
Section shall submit an application to the Board at such time,
in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Board may reasonably require.
Each application submitted under this subsection (d) shall
include a description of the project to be completed with grant
funds and the following:
(1) a plan for quality review and a review of the
accuracy of content;

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(2) a plan for access to ensure the widest possible
availability of the digital version of the open textbook;
(3) a plan for distribution and adoption of the open
textbook to ensure the widest possible adoption of the open
textbook in postsecondary courses, including, where
applicable, a marketing plan or a plan to partner with
for-profit or nonprofit organizations to assist in
marketing and distribution; and
(4) a plan for tracking and reporting formal adoptions
of the open textbook within postsecondary institutions,
including an estimate of the number of students impacted by
the adoptions.
(e) In awarding grants under this Section, the Board shall
give special consideration to applications that demonstrate
the greatest potential to produce the following:
(1) the highest quality and most marketable open
textbooks;
(2) open textbooks that correspond to the highest
enrollment courses at institutions of higher education;
(3) open textbooks that are easily utilized by faculty
members at institutions of higher education; and
(4) open textbooks created in partnership with
for-profit or nonprofit organizations to assist in
marketing and distribution.
(f) An eligible entity that receives a grant under this
Section shall do the following:

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(1) create a new open textbook for use in postsecondary
coursework;
(2) update an open textbook for use in postsecondary
coursework; or
(3) adapt a textbook into an open format for use in
postsecondary coursework.
An open textbook created, updated, or adapted under this
subsection (f) must be licensed through an open license.
The full and complete digital content of each open textbook
created, updated, or adapted under this subsection (f) (i) must
be posted on an easily accessible and interoperable Internet
website, which website must be identified to the Board by the
eligible entity, and (ii) must be made available free of charge
to and may be downloaded, redistributed, changed, revised, or
otherwise altered by any member of the general public.
(g) The Board shall develop a peer review and evaluation
process to ensure that open textbooks created, updated, or
adapted under this Section are of the highest quality, are
accurate in content, and meet or exceed market quality and
accessibility standards.
(h) Upon an eligible entity's completion of a project
supported by a grant under this Section, the eligible entity
shall prepare and submit a report to the Board regarding all
project costs, including the value of any volunteer labor and
institutional capital used for the project.
(i) For each of the 6 succeeding fiscal years after the

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effective date of this Act, the General Assembly is authorized
to appropriate such amounts as are necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Section, to be divided among 3 grants each
fiscal year.
Section 20. Licensing materials.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
educational materials for use in elementary, secondary, or
postsecondary courses must be licensed under an open license.
(b) The full and complete digital content of each of the
materials created as described in subsection (a) of this
Section (i) must be posted on an easily accessible and
interoperable Internet website, which website must be
identified to the Board by the grant recipient, and (ii) must
be made available free of charge to and may be downloaded,
redistributed, changed, revised, or otherwise altered by any
member of the general public.
Section 25. Intent of the General Assembly. It is the
intent of General Assembly that institutions of higher
education in this State should encourage the consideration of
open textbooks by professors within the generally accepted
principles of academic freedom that establish the right and
responsibility of faculty members, individually and
collectively, to select course materials that are
pedagogically most appropriate for their classes.

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Section 30. Report.
(a) No later than September 30, 2019, the Board shall
prepare and submit a report to the General Assembly detailing
the following:
(1) the open textbooks created, updated, or adapted
under this Act;
(2) the adoption of such open textbooks; and
(3) the savings generated for students and this State
though the use of open textbooks.
(b) This Section is repealed on June 1, 2016.
Section 90. Rules. The Board may adopt any rules necessary
to implement this Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.