(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) âAdopterâ 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) âComplimentary copiesâ or âreview course materialsâ 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) âInstructor copiesâ or âcomplimentary teacher editionsâ 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 instructorâs edition or instructorâs manuals. (4) âNew edition of textbookâ 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) âPublisherâ means any publishing house, publishing firm, or publishing company that publishes textbooks or other course materials, specifically designed for postsecondary instruction. (6) âTextbookâ 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. âTextbookâ does not include a novel. (7) âUnsolicited complimentary copiesâ 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 instructorâs 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 posts
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