HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2293        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1176

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Establishing a Special Commission Relative to Reducing the Costs Associated with the Purchase of College Textbooks..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  A special commission is hereby established to investigate and study the

college textbook industry. The investigation and study shall include, but not be limited to, examining the costs of purchasing textbooks and study materials, reviewing information  concerning offering a choice of lower cost texts, such as soft cover, one color and digital texts, exploring the effective use of E-textbooks, reviewing changes in editions and the  cost savings related to maintaining a current edition over purchasing the most recent edition, encouraging colleges to implement comprehensive and controlled buy-back and book swap programs to  reduce costs for students, providing incentives to those schools that offer such programs and expanding the information available to purchasers of textbooks so that faculty and students alike are provided with a complete view of all available textbooks for comparison purposes.  The commission shall be appointed by the governor and shall consist of  15  members as follows:  the house and senate chairmen of the joint committee on higher education, 1 member of the house of representatives, 1 member of the senate, 1 member of the University of Massachusetts administration or a designee, 1 member of the State College Council of Presidents or a designee, 1 member of the Community College Council of Presidents or a designee, 1 member of A.C.U.M. or a designee,  2 representatives of the college textbook publishing industry with offices in the commonwealth, 1 faculty member of a public college of the commonwealth, 1 college librarian and 1 student trustee of a public college or the University of Massachusetts.  The commission shall report to the general court the results of its study, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry such recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerk of the house of representatives on or before December 31, 2009.