JBC discusses preserving open educational resources program; staff recommends reauthorization and modest funding

Amanda Bickel (JBC staff) briefed the committee on the status of the Open Educational Resources (OER) program in higher education and argued the program has produced large student savings relative to the state investment. She recommended either funding House Bill 206‑1016 or making it a JBC bill to reauthorize the program and provide a scalable appropriation (staff cited $1.1M as a level to maintain last‑year service levels).

Bickel said the program functions largely through a central staff person and a free council of faculty, librarians and technologists that review grant applications and drive collaborative projects (for example, open nursing materials) that benefit multiple institutions. Members asked whether institutions could self‑fund the program and whether the program’s costs could be scaled; staff said institutions contribute but smaller colleges often rely on state seed funding.

Some members questioned where money would come from given many competing priorities; others said preserving the program’s benefits (notably lower student costs and cross‑institution collaboration) merited a placeholder appropriation. Staff noted the program sunsets in 2026 and needs reauthorization or an appropriation in statute to continue.

The committee did not take a final appropriations vote at the meeting but agreed the program merits further consideration and instructed staff to prepare a draft bill and fiscal options for the committee’s next meeting.