By TIPHERET PEÑA / Murphy News Service

U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Dirk Durbin (D-Ill.) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced legislation Thursday to help cut costs for college students by expanding access to free online textbooks.

Their bill, titled the Affordable College Textbook Act, would create a competitive grant program to support the creation and use of open college textbooks, according to a press release from Franken’s office. The textbooks would be available under an open license, allowing professors, students and others to access them for free.

“During my time in the Senate, I’ve held numerous college affordability roundtables all across Minnesota,” said Franken, who is also a member of the Senate Education Committee. “The reality is that our college students are taking on more debt than ever while also working more and more hours to stay afloat.”

Textbook costs can be substantial and work as a barrier to receiving a college education. The average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2014-2015 academic year was $1,225, according to the College Board.

Making high-quality open textbooks freely available to the general public could lower college textbook costs and increase accessibility to higher education. Open textbooks, which are more flexible, adaptable and accessible for professors could also improve learning and teaching for students.

Here are bill highlights:

• Create a grant program to support pilot programs at colleges and universities to create and expand the use of open textbooks and prioritize the programs which would achieve the highest saving for students;

• Ensure that any open textbooks or educational materials created using program funds would be freely and easily accessible to the public;

• Require entities who receive funds to complete a report on the effectiveness of the program in achieving savings for students;

• Improve existing requirements for publishers to make all textbooks and other educational materials available for sale individually rather than as a bundle; and

• Require the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress by 2017 with an update on the price trends of college textbooks.

“When it comes to paying for college, one thing that’s often overlooked is the rising cost of textbooks and supplies,” Franken said. “By expanding access to free online textbooks, our bill would help address this problem and allow students and families to keep more of their hard-earned money.”

Tipheret Peña is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.