Requires institutions of higher education to post full course listings with required textbooks on their websites at least six weeks prior to the start of classes

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring institutions of higher education to post full course listings with required textbooks on their websites at least six weeks prior to the start of classes

Purpose

To allow students time to comparison shop for the best textbook prices by requiring institutions of higher education to post full course listings with required textbooks on their websites at least six weeks prior to the start of classes.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 adds a new subdivision 1-a to section 721 of the education law to require institutions of higher education to post full course listings with required textbooks on their websites at least six weeks prior to the start of classes. Such posted text book lists shall include the specific International Standard Book Number (ISBN), title, author, edition and publisher of each required textbook. The campus bookstore price for each required textbook shall be posted if the institution of higher education has a campus bookstore. If a different textbook edition or printing is acceptable instead of a required textbook. the ISBN, title, author and publisher of such edition or printing shall be posted on the website as well.

Section 2 provides for an effective date of the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided. however, that if chapter 433 of the laws of 2008 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as such chapter of the laws of 2008 takes effect.

Justification

In December of 2008, the Office of the State Comptroller released a report entitled "Textbook Pricing Disparities". This report illustrated that colleges and universities can help to alleviate the cost of textbook price inflation on their students. If all higher education institutions, including SUNY and CUNY, would provide information on required textbooks to students on a timelier basis, students would have the opportunity to compare prices across a number of different sources and save money. This legislation would require colleges and universities to post a full course listing with required textbooks on their web sites at least six weeks prior to the start of classes to allow students time to comparison shop for the best textbook prices. This would give students time to shop for their textbooks at local bookstores or online where textbooks may be offered at a discount relative to the campus bookstore price.