Legislation

California Legislators Support Open Educational Resources!

California Legislative Information

AB 607. Public postsecondary education: Course materials (2023) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

  • This bill requires each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University to prominently display the estimated costs for each course of all required course materials and fees directly related to those materials, for no less than an annually increasing percentage, up to 75% by January 1, 2028, of the total number of courses on the online campus course schedule for which a faculty member or course instructor has been assigned. 

  • The bill would define, for purposes of this requirement, “course materials” to include digital or physical textbooks, devices such as calculators and remote attendance platforms, and software subscriptions.

SB 1359. Public postsecondary education: Course Materials (2017) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

Implementation Strategies for Tagging Course Schedules for Zero Cost Textbooks (May 2017)

  • This bill requires that the CSU and CCC clearly highlight, by means that may include a symbol or logo in a conspicuous place on the online campus course schedule, the courses that exclusively use digital course materials that are free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions.
     
  • Clearly communicate to students that the course materials used for the courses identified are free of charge and therefore not required to be purchased.

SB 1359: Implementation Requirements and Issues (June 2017)

AB 798. The California College Textbook Affordability Act of 2015 This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

SB 1052. California Open Education Resources Council (2012) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

SB 1053. California Digital Open Source Library (2012) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.


Federal Legislation

U.S. Department of Education

Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

  • The Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA) is a federal law requiring higher education institutions to communicate the price of course materials to students at the time of registration. Complying with the HEOA requirements is a condition for the CSU receiving student financial aid from the Federal Government.
  • For more information on HEOA in the CSU, click here.