Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 The Committee on Higher Education (Bennett) recommended the
12 following amendment:
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14 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
15 Delete everything after the enacting clause
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17 and insert:
18 Section 1. Section 1004.09, Florida Statutes, is
19 created to read:
20 1004.09 Affordability of textbooks.--
21 (1) An employee of a community college or state
22 university may not demand or receive any payment, loan,
23 subscription, advance, deposit of money, service, or anything
24 of value, present or promised, as an inducement for requiring
25 students to purchase a specific textbook for coursework or
26 instruction. However, an employee may receive:
27 (a) Sample copies, instructor copies, or instructional
28 materials. These materials may not be sold.
29 (b) Royalties or other compensation from sales of
30 textbooks that include the instructor's own writing or work.
31 (2) Community colleges and state universities shall
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
1 post on their website, as early as is feasible but not less
2 than 30 days prior to the first day of class for each term, a
3 list of each textbook assigned for each course offered at the
4 institution during the upcoming term. The posted list shall
5 include the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for each
6 textbook along with other relevant information necessary to
7 identify the specific textbook or textbooks required for each
8 course. The State Board of Education and the Board of
9 Governors shall include in the policies, procedures, and
10 guidelines adopted under subsection (3) certain limited
11 exceptions to this notification requirement for classes added
12 after the notification deadline.
13 (3) On or before March 1, 2008, the State Board of
14 Education and the Board of Governors each shall adopt
15 policies, procedures, and guidelines for implementation by
16 community colleges and state universities, respectively, to
17 minimize the cost of textbooks for students attending such
18 institutions while maintaining the quality of education and
19 academic freedom of each student and institution. The
20 policies, procedures, and guidelines shall provide for the
21 following:
22 (a) That textbook adoptions be made with sufficient
23 lead time to bookstores to allow information of the
24 availability of requested materials and, where possible,
25 ensure maximum availability of used books.
26 (b) That, in the textbook-adoption process, the intent
27 to use all items ordered, particularly each individual item
28 sold as part of a bundled package, is confirmed by the course
29 instructor or the academic department offering the course
30 before the adoption is finalized.
31 (c) That a course instructor or the academic
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
1 department offering the course confirms, before a textbook is
2 adopted, that the selection of a new edition of a textbook is
3 based on a determination by the academic department offering
4 the course that the new edition differs significantly and
5 substantively from earlier versions.
6 (d) That required textbooks be made available to
7 students unable to afford the cost.
8 Section 2. (1) The Office of Program Policy Analysis
9 and Government Accountability shall conduct a study of the
10 rising costs of college textbooks and textbook-purchasing
11 practices of public postsecondary educational institutions in
12 the state. When conducting the study, the Office of Program
13 Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall:
14 (a) Conduct a sample survey of students in community
15 colleges and state universities regarding the costs of
16 textbooks each semester.
17 (b) Review and analyze the purchasing policies
18 regarding textbooks by community colleges and state
19 universities to develop the best possible practices for future
20 purchases of textbooks.
21 (c) Review policies and practices being considered
22 previously implemented by institutions of higher education in
23 this state and other states to reduce the financial burden of
24 the cost of textbooks to students and their families,
25 including, but not limited to, use of used textbooks, rental
26 textbook systems, digital textbook subscriptions,
27 textbook-financing programs, faculty education, and standard
28 procedures for institutions and college bookstores.
29 (2) A final report, including recommendations, shall
30 be submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of
31 the House of Representatives on or before December 1, 2007.
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
1 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.
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4 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ===============
5 And the title is amended as follows:
6 Delete everything before the enacting clause
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8 and insert:
9 A bill to be entitled
10 An act relating to the affordability of
11 textbooks; creating s. 1004.09, F.S.;
12 prohibiting certain actions by employees of a
13 state university or community college relating
14 to the purchase of required textbooks by
15 students; requiring that community colleges and
16 state universities notify students of the
17 textbooks required for each course by listing
18 such textbooks on the community college or
19 university website; requiring the adoption of
20 certain policies and practices designed to
21 minimize the cost of textbooks; requiring such
22 policies and procedures to include limited
23 exceptions for notification requirements;
24 requiring that the Office of Program Policy
25 Analysis and Government Accountability conduct
26 a study of the costs of college textbooks and
27 the practices of public postsecondary
28 institutions regarding the purchase of
29 textbooks; requiring the office to conduct a
30 survey of students enrolled in such
31 institutions; requiring that the office review
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
1 certain information when conducting the study;
2 requiring the office to submit a final report
3 on the results of the study, including
4 recommendations, to the President of the Senate
5 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
6 on or before December 1, 2007; providing an
7 effective date.
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9 WHEREAS, textbooks are an essential part of a
10 comprehensive and high-quality postsecondary education, and
11 WHEREAS, the availability and affordability of
12 textbooks directly affect the quality and affordability of
13 postsecondary education, and
14 WHEREAS, the United States Government Accountability
15 Office recently reported that in the last two decades, college
16 textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation,
17 and
18 WHEREAS, the United States Government Accountability
19 Office reported that, while many factors affect textbook
20 pricing, the increasing costs associated with developing
21 instructional supplements that accompany textbooks best
22 explain price increases in recent years, and
23 WHEREAS, the United States Government Accountability
24 Office reported that prices of college textbooks in the United
25 States may exceed prices in other countries because prices
26 reflect market conditions found in each country, such as the
27 willingness and ability of students to purchase the textbooks,
28 and
29 WHEREAS, the cost of textbooks is one component
30 considered in making federal and state-funded financial aid
31 awards, and as such, escalating textbook prices can affect
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2492
Barcode 772736
1 federal and state spending, and
2 WHEREAS, state universities and community colleges
3 should consider the least costly practices in assigning
4 textbooks when such practices are educationally sound, NOW,
5 THEREFORE,
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