Senate Passes Dinniman Bill to Decrease College Book Prices
Legislation Uses Broad Strategy to Reduce Costs for Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2010

CONTACT: MARTIN INDARS      
PHONE: 610-692-2112     
mindars@pasenate.com 

WEST CHESTER (June 23) - State Senator Andy Dinniman’s legislation to help make college more affordable for Pennsylvania students was approved by the Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday.

The Senate unanimously approved Dinniman’s Higher Education College Textbook Affordability, Accountability and Accessibility Act, which will require that all Pennsylvania colleges implement policies and guidelines to minimize the cost of textbooks.

“While it’s been too many years since I last had to buy college textbooks, I still remember how much they cost me, and it’s only gotten worse since then,” Dinniman said. “It’s satisfying that my fellow senators have agreed with me to take this step to decrease the cost of textbooks for college students, and I am looking forward to the Pennsylvania House of Representative and the Governor both approving the bill.”

Among other provisions, Dinniman’s Senate Bill 929 requires university faculty to select the least expensive, educationally sound textbooks and materials for their students and for universities themselves to promote textbook rental and textbook buy-back programs. Additionally, in an effort to help faculty select the least expensive course materials for their students, the bill requires textbook publishers to provide professors with the wholesale and suggested retail prices of textbooks; copyright dates for the past three editions; substantial changes between previous and current editions; and if there are alternative formats of the course material and the prices of such formats.

Related to alternative formats, Dinniman’s Education College Textbook Affordability, Accountability and Accessibility Act requires that all textbook publishers doing business with Pennsylvania universities and community colleges offer their textbooks, partly or wholly, in digital form by Jan. 1, 2020. Prices of digital products may not exceed prices of printed material.

Finally, Dinniman’s bill includes provisions for increasing coordination between universities and college bookstores. Specifically, university officials will have to notify campus bookstores of not only upcoming courses and materials required, but also how many students are already enrolled in these upcoming courses and the maximum number of students who will be allowed to sign up for a course.

“My bill represents a broad and comprehensive strategy for decreasing the cost of college textbooks that will involve every Pennsylvania university and community college, their college bookstores and the publishers of the textbooks themselves,” Dinniman said. “All will be taking steps designed to control and decrease today’s all-too-extravagant cost of college textbooks.”

Dinniman said the bill was carefully drafted to recognize and respect the institutional autonomy of universities and the academic freedom of their instructors, professors and academic departments.

“I am not interested in and do not want to limit the rights of faculty to select appropriate textbooks,” Dinniman said. “All I want to do is make sure that when textbooks and course materials are selected, that student-cost is factored into the equation.”

For more details, contact Martin Indars in Senator Dinniman’s office at 1-610-692-2112 or at mindars@pasenate.com.


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