Bill Text: MN HF2709 | 2011-2012 | 87th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Postsecondary course materials information requirements modified.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-07 - Introduction and first reading, referred to Higher Education Policy and Finance [HF2709 Detail]

Download: Minnesota-2011-HF2709-Introduced.html

1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to higher education; modifying information requirements for course
1.3materials;amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 135A.25, subdivision 2;
1.4136F.58, subdivision 2.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 135A.25, subdivision 2, is amended to
1.7read:
1.8    Subd. 2. Course material disclosures required. (a) Beginning January 1, 2009,
1.9any publisher that sells or distributes course material for classroom use in a postsecondary
1.10institution must make the following available in an easily accessible manner to students,
1.11faculty, bookstores, and postsecondary institutions in Minnesota:
1.12    (1) the title, edition, author, and International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or
1.13other easily identifiable information for all course materials;
1.14    (2) the undiscounted price at which the course materials are available to a bookstore;
1.15    (3) the formats, including bundled and unbundled, in which those course materials
1.16are offered and the undiscounted prices of the various components, both sold separately or
1.17packaged together;
1.18    (4) a summary of revisions between current and previous editions of course materials
1.19in an electronic format; and
1.20    (5) the return policy for course material, including any penalties or conditions for
1.21returns.
1.22    (b) Any publisher that sells or distributes course material for classroom use in a
1.23postsecondary institution must make all bundled course material available to bookstores
2.1and postsecondary institutions in an unbundled form, or must provide notice if unbundled
2.2material is not available.
2.3    (c) Disclosure under this section is not required for mass-market and trade books that
2.4are not published, marketed, or sold primarily for classroom use in or by postsecondary
2.5institutions.
2.6    (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit any existing academic freedom
2.7or rights of faculty members to determine the most appropriate course material for the
2.8courses they teach.
2.9EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2012.

2.10    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 136F.58, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
2.11    Subd. 2. Course material. (a) An instructor shall attempt to provide adequate
2.12notice to a bookstore of the intention to order required or recommended course material
2.13so that the bookstore can provide information for the instructor's consideration prior to
2.14placing an order for the course material. An instructor shall also provide information on
2.15required or recommended course material in a published course syllabus. The syllabus
2.16must have links to any information provided to the instructor in an electronic format by
2.17publishers, including the summary of revisions between current and previous editions of
2.18required or recommended course materials.
2.19    (b) A bookstore must make reasonable efforts to obtain from publishers or other
2.20sources, prior to the time an instructor requests the bookstore to order course material,
2.21the following information, including, but not limited to:
2.22    (1) the title, edition, author, and International Standard Book Number (ISBN) of
2.23the course material;
2.24    (2) the price for the course material;
2.25    (3) whether the course material is bundled with optional material, whether it can be
2.26unbundled, and the price for each bundled and unbundled component;
2.27    (4) whether the material is available in an alternative format and the cost for the
2.28alternatively formatted material;
2.29    (5) the availability of the course material currently and in the future;
2.30    (6) changes to the course material from the previous edition, the revision date,
2.31availability, and cost for that edition, if available; and
2.32    (7) any known plans for future revisions of the course material.
2.33    (c) An instructor ordering course material through a bookstore shall consider the
2.34information received from the bookstore prior to placing the final order.
3.1EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2012.
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