Authorizes the trustees of the state university of New York and city university of New York to create academic review boards to study the cost of college textbooks

2 Co-sponsors

• Darrel J. Aubertine
• Antoine M. Thompson

Title of bill

An act to authorize the trustees of the state university of New York and of the city university of New York to create academic review boards for the review of textbooks sold, purchased or used for academic purposes at all institutions of higher education

Purpose or general idea of bill

Authorizes the trustees of institutions of the State University of New York and of the City University of New York to create an academic review boards for the review of textbooks sold, purchased or used for academic purposes at all institutions of higher education.

Summary of specific provisions

Section I authorizes and directs all Higher Education Institutions to create an Academic Review Board (ARB) consisting of twelve full-time faculty members that will interact between the publishing industry, management of independent bookstores, as well as exploring institutionalized textbook costs. Subsection I authorizes the ARB to create and mandate cost control policies for the sale and purchase of all textbooks available on all campuses of higher education institutions, in conjunction with the recommendations of the board of trustees, circulated questionnaires and the publishing industry. Subsection 2 requires the publishing industry to justify why they are introducing a new addition of an existing textbook. Subsection 3 establishes an acceptable ceiling cost for a same edition reprint of a book with no changes to the text. Subsection 4 requires publishers to mail marketing brochures when promoting textbooks, eliminating the complimentary copies delivered to professors unless requested in advance. Section 2 makes the act effective immediately.

Justification

To establish an academic review board within Higher Education Institutions throughout the State of New York and the City University of New York for the review of textbooks sold, purchased or used for academic purposes. A student that is enrolled in an institution of higher education will be placed in a position to purchase a book at full price should the institution no longer offer used, more conveniently priced books. The semester ends and the book, now a semester old has become outdated and therefore dramatically decreasing its value when the student is given no choice but to accept the avoidable but wide margin of financial loss. The Advisory board will negotiate with the publishing industry and bookstores to control the skyrocketing costs of books as well as require all publishing companies to justify why they are introducing a new addition of an existing textbook.

Prior legislative history

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS : To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.