H4651 — An Act reducing the cost of attending college

Summary

An Act reducing the cost of attending college

Bill Text

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The bill establishes the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund and incorporates definitions and guidelines for the development and administration of open educational resources in higher education.

• Chapter 15A

  “Open educational resources” or “OER”, teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

  Introduces a definition for open educational resources.

• Chapter 29

  Section 2KKKKKK. (a) For the purposes of this section the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: “Commissioner”, the commissioner of higher education. “Department”, the department of higher education. “Fund”, the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund, established in subsection (b). “Open educational resource” or “OER”, as defined in section 10 of chapter 15A. “Public institution of higher education”, an institution listed in section 5 of chapter 15A. “Statewide OER Advisory Council”, the advisory council, consisting of representatives from the public institutions of higher education listed in section 5 of chapter 15A and overseen by a representative of the department of higher education, that provides advice and counsel for the implementation of OER throughout the commonwealth.

  Creates definitions for key terms and establishes the Statewide OER Advisory Council.

• Chapter 29

  (b)(1) To achieve, promote and support college affordability and promote student academic success and completion across the commonwealth, there shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund. The fund shall be used to support the development and distribution of open educational resources, as defined in section 10 of chapter 15A, for university and early college course textbooks and ancillaries, to reduce the cost of college education and decrease financial hardships, including food and housing insecurity induced and exacerbated by rising education costs.

  Establishes the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund to support the development of OER and alleviate college costs.

• Chapter 29

  (c) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended, without further appropriation, by the commissioner for purposes related to the development, distribution, availability and use of open educational resources.

  Allows the commissioner to use fund resources without further appropriation for developing and distributing OER.

• Chapter 29

  (d)(1) There shall be a competitive grant program to promote and support the development of open educational resources for students in public higher education institutions and early college programs.

  Introduces a competitive grant program to support the creation of OER in higher education.

• Chapter 15A

  Section 50. (a) Subject to appropriation, the commissioner shall develop and implement a pilot program to provide no-cost digital textbooks or other commercial digital learning materials in order to achieve savings for students enrolled in the institution and improve student outcomes.

  Establishes a pilot program to provide no-cost digital textbooks to improve student outcomes and reduce costs.

• Chapter 69

  Annually, not later than November 1, the commissioner of higher education shall file a report with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint committee on higher education and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund’s activities.

  Mandates annual reporting on the activities of the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund.

Sponsors

• Joint Committee on Higher Education · Primary

Subjects