Open Textbook Funding in FY19 Appropriations Process - SPARC

"SPARC is hard at work securing funding for open textbooks in the FY19 budget

Congress acknowledged that the cost of textbooks was a key part of college affordability by including a one-time appropriation for an Open Textbook Pilot in the FY18 omnibus bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an extension of this funding for FY19, and SPARC is calling on Congressional leaders to ensure this funding makes it into the final Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) spending bill when it comes to the floor. The first $5 million has the potential to save students tens of millions of dollars, but making textbooks affordable for 20 million students will take more than just one year...."