66406.7
. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the
College Textbook Transparency Act.
(b) As used in this section, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) "Adopter" means any faculty member or academic department or
other adopting entity at an institution of higher education
responsible for considering and choosing course materials to be used
in connection with the accredited courses taught at that institution.
(2) "Complimentary copies" or "review course materials" only
includes books that in all appearances are the same as the regular
student edition of the textbook, and contain no material other than
that found in the regular student edition of the textbook.
(3) "Instructor copies" or "complimentary teacher editions" means
books with information that is meant to be for the exclusive use of
teachers and not for students. These books contain answers and
solutions, test questions, and pedagogical techniques, and are often
labeled instructor's edition or instructor's manuals.
(4) "New edition of textbook" means a subsequent version of an
earlier standard textbook. A standard textbook is the primary, full,
and unabridged edition of a textbook. An abridged, alternate format,
or alternate version of a standard textbook shall not be considered a
new edition.
(5) "Publisher" means any publishing house, publishing firm, or
publishing company that publishes textbooks or other course
materials, specifically designed for postsecondary instruction.
(6) "Textbook" means a book that contains printed material and is
intended for use as a source of study material for a class or group
of students, a copy of which is expected to be available for the use
of each of the students in that class or group. "Textbook" does not
include a novel.
(7) "Unsolicited complimentary copies" means all items described
in paragraph (2) and that were not requested by faculty but are sent
by the publisher unsolicited by a faculty or staff member.
(c) (1) Adopters are encouraged to consider cost in the adoption
of textbooks.
(2) Publishers shall facilitate the work done by adopters by
providing transparency in the adoption process and shall be
responsive in a timely manner to requests for information on textbook
cost and content, and the full range of options.
(d) (1) On or after January 1, 2010, the publisher of a textbook
shall print on the outer cover of, or within, the standard textbook,
both of the following items:
(A) For any new editions of textbooks initially published on or
after January 1, 2010, a summary of the substantive content
differences between the new edition and the prior edition.
(B) The copyright date of the previous edition of the textbook.
(2) For instructor copies or complimentary teacher editions, it
shall be noted on the exterior of the book that the book is an
instructor's copy and is not for resale.
(e) (1) A publisher, or agent or employee of a publisher, of
textbooks intended for use at a postsecondary educational institution
shall respond to a request from an adopter for any of the following:
(A) A list of the products offered for sale by that publisher that
are relevant to the needs and interests of adopters.
(B) The price at which the new book is available from the
publisher.
(C) The copyright date of any prior edition of a textbook, if
available.
(D) A list of the substantial content differences or changes made
between the current edition initially published on or after January
1, 2010, and the previous edition of the textbook, including, but not
necessarily limited to, new chapters, additional eras of time, new
themes, or new subject matter.
(2) The information described in this subdivision shall be
available in print or electronically to the adopter.
(f) Each campus bookstore at any public postsecondary educational
institution shall post in its store or on its Internet Web site a
disclosure of its retail pricing policy on new and used textbooks.
(g) Each public postsecondary educational institution shall
encourage adopters with course material selection responsibilities to
place their orders with sufficient lead time, whenever possible, to
enable the university-managed bookstore or contract-managed bookstore
to confirm the availability of the requested materials.
(h) This section does not limit the authority of faculty over
decisions relating to the selection of textbooks.
(i) An adopter at an institution of higher education shall not
demand or receive anything of value, including the donation of
equipment or goods, any payment, loan, advance, or deposit of money,
present or promised, for adopting specific course materials required
for coursework or instruction, except that an employee may receive
any of the following:
(1) Complimentary copies, review course materials, or instructor
copies. The adopters shall not sell instructor copies.
(2) Royalties or other compensation from sales of course materials
that include the instructor's writing or other work. Receipt of
these royalties or compensation is subject to the employer's standing
policies or collective bargaining agreements relating to employee
conflicts of interest.
(3) Honoraria for academic peer review of course materials.
Receipt of honoraria is subject to the employer's standing policies
relating to employee conflicts of interest.
(4) Training in the use of course materials and course
technologies. Payment for travel and lodging and or meals shall be
subject to the employer's standing polices relating to employee
conflicts of interest and compensation.
(j) A publisher or campus bookstore shall not solicit faculty for
the purpose of the sale of instructor copies or complimentary
teachers editions of textbooks that have been provided by a publisher
at no charge to a faculty member or other employee. This subdivision
does not apply to unsolicited complimentary copies.
(k) A campus bookstore shall not engage in any trade of any course
material marked, or otherwise identified, as instructor copies or
complementary teachers editions of textbooks.
(l) Any self-published textbook by an instructor for use with that
instructor's class shall be exempt from this section, if the
instructor discloses the publishing and use of those materials to his
or her employer institution.