II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 945 

To ensure that college textbooks and supplemental materials are available 

and affordable. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2007 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To ensure that college textbooks and supplemental materials 

are available and affordable. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘College Textbook Af5 fordability Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE AND INTENT. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to ensure that every stu8 dent in higher education is offered better and more timely 

9 access to affordable course materials by educating and in10 forming faculty, students, administrators, institutions of 


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1 higher education, bookstores, and publishers on all aspects 

2 of the selection, purchase, sale, and use of the course ma3 terials. It is the intent of this Act to have all involved par4 ties work together to identify ways to decrease the cost 

5 of college textbooks and supplemental materials for stu6 dents while protecting the academic freedom of faculty 

7 members to provide high quality course materials for stu8 dents. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) COLLEGE TEXTBOOK.—The term ‘‘college 

12 textbook’’ means a textbook, or a set of textbooks, 

13 used for a course in postsecondary education at an 

14 institution of higher education. 

15 (2) COURSE SCHEDULE.—The term ‘‘course 

16 schedule’’ means a listing of the courses or classes 

17 offered by an institution of higher education for an 

18 academic period. 

19 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

20 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

21 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

22 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

23 (4) PUBLISHER.—The term ‘‘publisher’’ means 

24 a publisher of college textbooks or supplemental ma25 terials involved in or affecting interstate commerce. 


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1 (5) SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL.—The term 

2 ‘‘supplemental material’’ means educational material 

3 published or produced to accompany a college text4 book. 

5 SEC. 4. PUBLISHER REQUIREMENTS. 

6 (a) COLLEGE TEXTBOOK PRICING INFORMATION.— 

7 When a publisher provides a faculty member of an institu8 tion of higher education with information regarding a col9 lege textbook or supplemental material available in the 

10 subject area in which the faculty member teaches, the pub11 lisher shall include, with any such information and in writ12 ing, the following: 

13 (1) The price at which the publisher would 

14 make the college textbook or supplemental material 

15 available to the bookstore on the campus of, or oth16 erwise associated with, such institution of higher 

17 education. 

18 (2) Any history of revisions for the college text19 book or supplemental material. 

20 (3) Whether the college textbook or supple21 mental material is available in any other format, in22 cluding paperback and unbound, and the price at 

23 which the publisher would make the college textbook 

24 or supplemental material in the other format availVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:34 Mar 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S945.IS S945

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1 able to the bookstore on the campus of, or otherwise 

2 associated with, such institution of higher education. 

3 (b) UNBUNDLING OF SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS.— 

4 A publisher that sells a college textbook and any supple5 mental material accompanying such college textbook as a 

6 single bundled item shall also sell the college textbook and 

7 each supplemental material as separate and unbundled 

8 items. 

9 SEC. 5. PROVISION OF ISBN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK INFOR10 MATION IN COURSE SCHEDULES. 

11 (a) INTERNET COURSE SCHEDULES.—Each institu12 tion of higher education that receives Federal assistance 

13 and that publishes the institution’s course schedule for the 

14 subsequent academic period on the Internet shall— 

15 (1) include, in the course schedule, the Inter16 national Standard Book Number (ISBN) and the re17 tail price for each college textbook or supplemental 

18 material required or recommended for a course or 

19 class listed on the course schedule that has been as20 signed such a number; and 

21 (2) update the information required under 

22 paragraph (1) as necessary. 

23 (b) WRITTEN COURSE SCHEDULES.—In the case of 

24 an institution of higher education that receives Federal 

25 assistance and that does not publish the institution’s 


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1 course schedule for the subsequent academic period on the 

2 Internet, the institution of higher education shall include 

3 the information required under subsection (a)(1) in any 

4 printed version of the institution’s course schedule and 

5 shall provide students with updates to such information 

6 as necessary. 

7 SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION FOR COLLEGE 

8 TEXTBOOK SELLERS. 

9 An institution of higher education that receives Fed10 eral assistance shall make available, as soon as is prac11 ticable, upon the request of any seller of college textbooks 

12 (other than a publisher) that meets the requirements es13 tablished by the institution, the most accurate information 

14 available regarding— 

15 (1) the institution’s course schedule for the sub16 sequent academic period; and 

17 (2) for each course or class offered by the insti18 tution for the subsequent academic period— 

19 (A) the International Standard Book Num20 ber (ISBN) for each college textbook or supple21 mental material required or recommended for 

22 such course or class that has been assigned 

23 such a number; 

24 (B) the number of students enrolled in 

25 such course or class; and 


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1 (C) the maximum student enrollment for 

2 such course or class. 

Æ 


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