SB0325eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0325 Engrossed LRB095 08710 NHT 28893 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Textbook Advisory Committee Act.

Section 5. Findings; purpose. The General Assembly finds that the State and its residents would benefit from increased affordability at public institutions of higher education. In pursuit of this common goal, the faculty and administration at all public institutions of higher education must consider the most cost-effective practices in textbook decision-making. The purpose of this Act is to foster the development of institutional textbook adoption policies with the aim of reducing textbook costs to students.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Off-campus college bookstore" means a bookstore that is not operated by or on behalf of the public institution of higher education, but sells or offers to sell textbooks and supplemental materials to students and has a physical presence on or near the institution's campus.

"On-campus college bookstore" means a bookstore, whether operated by or on behalf of the public institution of higher education, that sells or offers to sell textbooks and supplemental materials to students of the public institution of higher education and that has a physical presence on or near the institution's campus.

"Public institution of higher education" means an institution that is included in the definition of "public institutions of higher education" under the Board of Higher Education Act, but does not include a public institution of higher education whose primary method of textbook issuance is through a rental program.

"Publisher" means any publishing house, publishing firm, or publishing company that publishes instructional materials and supplemental materials.

Section 15. Textbook advisory committees established. A textbook advisory committee must be established in the office of the provost or chief academic officer of each public institution of higher education. The committee must be comprised of cross-disciplinary teams of faculty and representatives of the administration, representatives of the on-campus college bookstore and off-campus college bookstore, if any, that provide textbooks, students, and a publisher.

Section 20. Policies. A textbook advisory committee established under this Act shall establish and implement policies to do all of the following:

(1) Establish deadlines for faculty to notify a bookstore or bookstores of textbooks selected for the pending semester or other term.

(2) Ensure the publication, on the public institution of higher education's Internet website or at other appropriate venues, of the title, author, International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and retail price of new and used textbooks within reasonable expediency after the information becomes available. The requirement for disclosure of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) under this Section is applicable so long as disclosure does not conflict with or impair the contractual rights of a private third party that operates the on-campus college bookstore on behalf of the public institution of higher education.

(3) Ensure the availability of information regarding how current editions of textbooks differ from previous editions.

(4) Prohibit employees and departments of the public institution of higher education from demanding or receiving any present or promised gift, payment, loan, subscription, advance deposit of money, services, or other thing of value as an inducement for the selection of any specific textbook or supplemental material for use in an academic course taught at the public institution of higher education. This item (4) does not prevent instructors of the public institution of higher education from receiving any of the following:

(A) Sample copies, instructor's copies, or instructional materials that are not to be sold by instructors, staff, on-campus college bookstores, or off-campus college bookstores, if any.

(B) Royalties or other compensation from sales of textbooks or supplemental materials that include the instructor's own writing or written work, as determined by the textbook advisory committee.

(C) Training in the use of course materials and learning technologies.

(D) Honoraria for academic peer review of course materials.

(5) Foster the establishment of textbook reserves, including online electronic collections ("e-reserves"), for student use in campus libraries or academic departments, free of charge, so long as all materials provided adhere to applicable federal copyright laws.

(6) Encourage buy-back programs to reduce student costs.

(7) Provide support for the creation or operation of campus book swaps.

The committee may implement other policies as desired to provide textbook cost savings to students.

Section 25. Report. Each public institution of higher education shall report annually to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board, as appropriate, on measures undertaken to reduce textbook costs and provide students with cost-saving alternatives. The report shall include a full listing of student costs for a representative sample of textbooks for coursework for first-time, full-time students in a manner prescribed by the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board, as appropriate.

Section 80. Expiration. This Act is repealed on June 30, 2015.