H-3579.1
HOUSE BILL 2680
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State of Washington | 64th Legislature | 2016 Regular Session |
By Representatives Stambaugh, Frame, Zeiger, Riccelli, Van Werven, Magendanz, Kochmar, Kilduff, Hargrove, Stanford, Johnson, and Hickel
Read first time 01/18/16. Referred to Committee on Higher Education.
AN ACT Relating to the Washington open education pilot grant program at the state universities, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College; creating new sections; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the cost of textbooks is a barrier to higher education for many students. The state board for community and technical colleges through the open course library, and universities around the country through various open education material programs, have achieved significant cost savings for students. It is the intent of the legislature to create a pilot grant program to reduce costs for college students by encouraging faculty to accelerate the adoption of lower cost, high-quality open educational resources.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) Beginning in the 2016-17 academic year, the Washington open education pilot grant program is established within the student achievement council to create a competitive grant program to provide an incentive for faculty to adopt open educational resources and reduce students' costs of attendance.
(2) Subject to funds appropriated specifically for this purpose, the student achievement council shall award up to one hundred grants per year to faculty members to develop or obtain open educational materials and resources. The student achievement council shall develop a process for review and selection of grant applications.
(3) In developing the pilot program, the student achievement council is encouraged to use the Massachusetts Amherst open education initiative and the California textbook affordability act as models.
(4) Beginning September 1, 2017, and by September 1, 2018, the student achievement council shall submit to the appropriate committees of the legislature a report of the pilot program, including:
(a) How the program is being implemented, including a comparison between the pilot program at the student achievement council and programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the California State University system, and other institutions with similar models;
(b) The number of faculty that applied for the grant and the number of faculty that received the grant;
(c) The courses and departments of the faculty members that received the grants; and
(d) The total cost savings to students and the cost savings per student enrolled in a course taught by a grant recipient.
(5) This section expires June 30, 2019.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.
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