HB3239 - Open College Textbook Act

• Creates a competitive grant program administered by the Board of Higher Education to fund the creation, updating, or adaptation of open textbooks (textbooks licensed under open licenses allowing public access, modification, and redistribution) for college courses.

• Eligible grant recipients include Illinois higher education institutions, professors or groups of professors at those institutions, and nonprofit or for-profit organizations that produce open textbooks, with grants lasting one year in duration.

• Requires all textbooks and educational materials created through public grants under this Act to be licensed under open licenses and made freely available on accessible websites for download, redistribution, and modification by the general public.

• Authorizes $450,000 in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014 to fund 3 grants, with authorization for additional appropriations in the following 5 fiscal years as needed.

• Requires the Board of Higher Education to submit a report to the General Assembly by June 1, 2015 detailing textbooks created, adoption rates, and cost savings generated for students.