Bill Text: CA SB265 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Postsecondary education: electronic textbooks.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-03 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB265 Detail]

Download: California-2013-SB265-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 265	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Lara

                        FEBRUARY 13, 2013

   An act relating to postsecondary education.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 265, as introduced, Lara. Postsecondary education: electronic
textbooks.
   Existing law urges publishers of textbooks to take specified
actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for
textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering
textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher
sells. By January 1, 2020, existing law requires publishers of
textbooks offered for sale at postsecondary educational institutions
to make the textbooks available, in whole or in part, to the extent
practicable, in an electronic format, and requires electronic
versions of textbooks to include the same content as the printed
versions.
   This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that would ensure clear and consistent practices
surrounding electronic textbooks for the state's college and
university students.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) The cost of attending the state's public colleges and
universities has skyrocketed in recent years. While fees often tend
to be the most visible cost, other non-tuition-related costs, such as
the cost of textbooks, significantly burden both students and their
families. For example, the average annual student budget for
textbooks at the California Community Colleges can be almost 150
percent of the cost of tuition.
   (2) The State Auditor's Office has reported that increases in
textbook prices have significantly outpaced median household income,
which makes it more likely that some students will forgo or delay
attending college.
   (3) In response to these trends, the state has taken several steps
to address the rising costs of textbooks, including making textbooks
available in electronic format. Electronic textbooks have the
potential to increase access and convenience and reduce costs for
students.
   (4) Students, however, have encountered several problems with
online materials, including undisclosed fees, inconsistent refund
policies, and unclear access privileges.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that
would ensure clear and consistent practices surrounding electronic
textbooks for the state's college and university students.