tors to restrict the re-importation of overseas text-
books in the United States, regardless of content 
similarities, thus restricting students from pur-
chasing lower-cost textbooks from overseas. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that: 
(1) There is not sufficient communication and 
transparency between all the stakeholders in the 
textbook market, leading to unnecessary frustrations 
and misunderstandings about the rising costs of col-
lege textbooks. 
(2) The textbook market by its nature puts stu-
dents at a disadvantage when it comes to affecting 
the prices of textbooks because it does not include 
them in the decision-making process for ultimate 
textbook purchases. 
(3) Students should be fully informed about the 
costs of textbooks before registering for classes in 
order to be aware of the full cost of higher edu-
cation. 
(4) Students should have the ability, whenever 
possible, to seek out and purchase lower-cost alter-
natives to textbooks so as to reduce the cost of high-
er education. 
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SEC. 3. PURPOSE AND INTENT. 
The purpose of this Act is to ensure that every stu-
dent in higher education is offered better and more timely 
access to affordable course materials by educating and in-
forming faculty, students, administrators, institutions of 
higher education, bookstores, distributors, and publishers 
on all aspects of the selection, purchase, sale, and use of 
the course materials. It is the intent of this Act— 
(1) to have all involved parties work together to 
identify ways to decrease the cost of college text-
books and supplemental materials for students while 
protecting the academic freedom of faculty members 
to select high quality course materials for students; 
(2) that— 
(A) textbook publishers and distributors 
should work with faculty to understand the cost 
to students of purchasing faculty selected text-
books, including the disclosure of prices and 
bundling practices; 
(B) college bookstores should work with 
faculty to review timelines and processes for or-
dering and stocking selected textbooks, and dis-
close textbook costs to faculty and students in 
a timely manner; 
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(C) institutions of higher education should 
be encouraged to implement numerous options 
to address textbook affordability; and 
(D) institutions of higher education should 
work with student organizations to help stu-
dents understand the factors driving textbook 
costs and available methods and resources to 
mitigate the effects of those costs. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COLLEGE TEXTBOOK.—The term ‘‘college 
textbook’’ means a textbook, or a set of textbooks, 
used for a course in postsecondary education at an 
institution of higher education. 
(2) COURSE
SCHEDULE.—The term ‘‘course 
schedule’’ means a listing of the courses or classes 
offered by an institution of higher education for an 
academic period. 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 
(4) PUBLISHER.—The term ‘‘publisher’’ means 
a publisher of college textbooks or supplemental ma-
terials involved in or affecting interstate commerce. 
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(5) SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIAL.—The term 
‘‘supplemental material’’ means educational material 
published or produced to accompany a college text-
book, including printed materials, computer disks, 
web site access, and electronically distributed mate-
rials. 
SEC. 5. PUBLISHER REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) COLLEGE TEXTBOOK PRICING INFORMATION.— 
When a publisher provides a faculty member of an institu-
tion of higher education with information regarding a col-
lege textbook or supplemental material available, the pub-
lisher shall include, with any such information and in writ-
ing, the following: 
(1) The price at which the publisher would 
make the college textbook or supplemental material 
available to the bookstore on the campus of, or oth-
erwise associated with, such institution of higher 
education. 
(2) The full history of revisions for the college 
textbook or supplemental material. 
(3) Whether the college textbook or supple-
mental material is available in any other format, in-
cluding paperback and unbound, and the price at 
which the publisher would make the college textbook 
or supplemental material in the other format avail-
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able to the bookstore on the campus of, or otherwise 
associated with, such institution of higher education. 
(b) UNBUNDLING OF TEXTBOOKS FROM SUPPLE-
MENTAL MATERIALS.—A publisher that sells a college 
textbook and any supplemental material accompanying 
such college textbook as a single bundled item shall also 
make available the college textbook and each supplemental 
material as separate and unbundled items, each separately 
priced. 
SEC. 6. PROVISION OF ISBN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK INFOR-
MATION IN COURSE SCHEDULES. 
(a) INTERNET COURSE SCHEDULES.—Each institu-
tion of higher education that receives Federal assistance, 
to the maximum extent practicable, shall— 
(1) disclose the International Standard Book 
Number of required and recommended textbooks, re-
lated materials and supplies, including retail price 
information, for each course listed in the institu-
tion’s course schedule used for pre-registration and 
registration purposes; 
(2) if the International Standard Book Number 
is not available for the items listed in paragraph (1), 
the institution shall use the author and title; and 
(3) if the institution determines that the disclo-
sure of the information described in the preceding 
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paragraphs for a course is not practicable, then it 
should indicate so by placing the designation ‘‘To Be 
Determined’’ in lieu of the information required 
under such paragraphs. 
(b) WRITTEN COURSE SCHEDULES.—In the case of 
an institution of higher education that receives Federal 
assistance and that does not publish the institution’s 
course schedule for the subsequent academic period on the 
Internet, the institution of higher education shall include 
the information required under subsection (a) in any 
printed version of the institution’s course schedule as it 
is available at the time of the course schedule’s printing. 
SEC. 7. AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION FOR COLLEGE 
TEXTBOOK SELLERS. 
An institution of higher education that receives Fed-
eral assistance shall make available, as soon as is prac-
ticable, upon the request of any seller of college textbooks 
(other than a publisher) that meets the requirements es-
tablished by the institution, the most accurate information 
available regarding— 
(1) the institution’s course schedule for the sub-
sequent academic period; and 
(2) for each course or class offered by the insti-
tution for the subsequent academic period— 
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