Bill Text: TX SB915 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment and administration by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board of a textbook affordability pilot program at a public institution of higher education.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-05-18 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB915 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB915-Comm_Sub.html
| By: Kolkhorst | S.B. No. 915 | |
| (Zerwas) | ||
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| relating to the establishment and administration by the Texas | ||
| Higher Education Coordinating Board of a textbook affordability | ||
| pilot program at a public institution of higher education. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 61.0667 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 61.0667. TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY PILOT PROGRAM. | ||
| (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "College bookstore" means a bookstore that is: | ||
| (A) operated by an institution of higher | ||
| education; or | ||
| (B) in a contractual relationship or otherwise | ||
| affiliated with an institution of higher education. | ||
| (2) "Electronic textbook" means a textbook accessed | ||
| through computer software, interactive videodisc, magnetic media, | ||
| CD-ROM, computer courseware, online services, an electronic | ||
| medium, or other means of conveying information to the student or | ||
| otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic | ||
| means, including an open-source textbook. | ||
| (3) "Eligible institution" means an institution of | ||
| higher education that has: | ||
| (A) a total undergraduate student enrollment of | ||
| more than 18,000; and | ||
| (B) a college bookstore. | ||
| (4) "Open-source textbook" means an electronic | ||
| textbook that is available for downloading from the Internet at no | ||
| charge to a student and without requiring the purchase of an unlock | ||
| code, membership, or other access or use charge, except for a charge | ||
| to order an optional printed copy of all or part of the textbook. | ||
| (b) The board shall establish and administer a pilot program | ||
| to encourage the use of affordable textbooks at institutions of | ||
| higher education. The board shall select one eligible institution | ||
| to participate in the pilot program. | ||
| (c) The board by rule shall establish the application | ||
| process and selection criteria for participation in the pilot | ||
| program. If no eligible institutions apply, the board may select | ||
| any eligible institution to participate in the pilot program. | ||
| (d) The board shall designate one academic department of the | ||
| selected eligible institution to implement the pilot program. The | ||
| designated department shall: | ||
| (1) to the greatest extent possible, use electronic or | ||
| open-source textbooks, open educational resources, public domain | ||
| material, or other free or low-cost textbooks or textbook | ||
| alternatives for each course offered through the department; | ||
| (2) notify the institution's college bookstore of each | ||
| textbook or textbook alternative that has been adopted for use in a | ||
| course offered through the department and that will be distributed | ||
| through the bookstore; and | ||
| (3) maintain records of the cost of textbooks and | ||
| textbook alternatives for each course offered through the | ||
| department for the duration of the pilot program. | ||
| (e) On receipt of notice from the designated department | ||
| under Subsection (d)(2), the selected eligible institution's | ||
| college bookstore shall notify the designated department of the | ||
| anticipated cost to a student of each textbook or textbook | ||
| alternative that has been adopted for use in a course offered | ||
| through the department and that will be distributed through the | ||
| bookstore. | ||
| (f) Not later than December 1, 2018, the board shall submit | ||
| to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of | ||
| representatives, and presiding officer of each standing | ||
| legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over higher | ||
| education a report on the success of the pilot program under this | ||
| section and any recommendations for legislative or other action. | ||
| The report must include a comparison of the average cost of | ||
| textbooks for courses offered through the department designated | ||
| under Subsection (d) to implement the pilot program and for courses | ||
| offered through departments at other institutions of higher | ||
| education that have implemented a similar textbook affordability | ||
| program. | ||
| (g) On request by the board, the eligible institution | ||
| selected to participate in the pilot program shall assist in | ||
| preparing the report required under Subsection (f). | ||
| (h) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and | ||
| donations from any public or private source to prepare the report | ||
| and develop recommendations as required by Subsection (f). | ||
| (i) The board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement | ||
| this section. | ||
| (j) This section expires September 1, 2019. | ||
| SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
| shall implement the pilot program required under Section 61.0667, | ||
| Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2015-2016 | ||
| academic year. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
