Textbook Legislation passes the House

The House of Delegates passed their version of a Textbook Bill today, after a favorable review with amendments from the Appropriations Committee on Saturday.  Substantive changes reduce administrative burdens to universities and bookstores, which will ensure that the cost of textbooks is not inadvertenly increased.  A few amendments seem to cater to book publishers, skirting provisions attempting to address bundling and integrated textbooks.  Here is a list of amendments that I will advocate for:

• On page 4 Line 15 C.1.III remove the word "not"  to read "Which textbooks are integrated textbooks and are therefore subject to subsection (F) (3) of this section, as reported by the publisher under subsection (E) of this section."
• On page 5 Line 33 D.2.II.5  remove the word "not" to read "...that an integrated textbook is subject to subsection (F)(3) of this section."
• On page 6 Line 20, E.1.III:  reinstate "expressed as an itemized list."
• On page 6 Line 24&25 E.1.V:  reinstate "Variances in price, if any, between bundled and unbundled items."

With two versions of the bill passed in the House and the Senate, a conference committee will be convened.  The committee will include three senators and three delegates, and four of the six must come to consensus on an acceptable version of the bill.  Then, comparable amendments are submitted to both bodies; 50% approval of the new bill is needed from both houses prior to April 13.  

The House bill generally addresses most of my concerns with the bill regarding administrative burdens and limitations on academic freedom.  Hopefully, members of the Senate and House cancome to a reasonable agreement, hopefully much closer to the House version, so that the bill does not have the same fate as last year's version.

Textbook Update

During my hiatus last week, a number of advancements have occurred in the realm of textbooks.  After a worthwhile hearing in the House on February 17, Delegate Rice committed to proposing significant amendments to the House version of the bill (HB 85 ) which will be submitted soon.  At the same time, the Senate Bill (SB 183) was scheduled for a Senate floor vote on Friday February 20.  Senator Middleton raised significant concerns on the floor, and first laid over the bill to Tuesday February 24.  On the floor, a number of amendments were proposed.  An amendment to change the publication timeline of textbook selections to once the order is "finalized" failed 22-24.  An amendment by Senator Astle to change "affirm and acknowledge" to "acknowledge" in section D passed 25-22.

So, the bill has passed in the Senate 45-0 in its current form.  The Senate now waits for the House to finalize the cross-filed bill.  If there are any differences in the two bills, a conference Committee will be formed.  This appears to be likely with the House adopting amendments supported by the USM Students panel, the USM, Community Colleges, Independent Colleges, MHEC, and Bookstores.

One major compromise that will likely be included is extending the publication of the textbook selection in Section G from the earlier of 1 week or the final selection to 30 days after the original selection.  The student panel testified that publication 1 week after the original selection would require bookstores to publish unfinalized information and then students could purchase wrong books.  The compromise extends this timeline to 30 days.  Do recall, at all USM schools, all selections must be posted for the Fall semester by May 1 and for the Spring semester by December 1.

This compromise, and the inclusion of Senator Astle's amendment, adequately address the main concerns that I have outlined.  I have pulled the letter from the CapWiz program at UMBC and will be working with student leaders to develop a consensus on the issue.  The Senate bill still raises issues, but the House amendments, expected from Delegate Rice, will be satisfactory and in the end, actually help students.

Testimony on House Bill 85

I testified on Tuesday as part of a panel of USM student leaders expressing support with amendments to House Bill 85.  The USM Student Council voted unanimously (10-0) at its 2/9 meeting to only support the bill with substantial amendments. Panel members included:

• Bill Logan, Towson undergraduate, Chair of USM Student Council
  
• Brady Walker, University of Baltimore law, Vice Chair of USM Student Council
  
• Sarah Elfreth, Towson undergraduate, Towson SGA and 2009-2010 USM Student Regent
  
• Roberto Munster, UMCP graduate, UMCP Graduate Student Government and USM Student Council member
  

Our testimony highlighted a number of additions and concerns, addressing concerns of costly administrative burdens, publication of unconfirmed information, limitations on academic freedom, an possible unintended consequences.  We submitted an amended version for review (email me at joshmichael@umbc.edu for a full tracked-changes version).

House members were receptive to comments, and Delegate Craig Rice is willing to carve up the bill to avoid the explained unintended consequences.

The Diamondback covered the event, highlighting the potential increased costs for students, resulting from the proscriptive language.  An editorial  was also published today.

The Forgotten Cost in Higher Education: Textbooks

That first trip to the bookstore during our freshman year took most of us for surprise.  Accustomed to textbooks being provided in high school, few of us had any idea how expensive textbooks could be.  On average, books cost about 10% of the cost of tuition, which is quite a burden for students struggling to pay for college.

The Maryland Legislature has considered legislation in the past that would help regulate the sale of textbooks.  Fundamentally, the textbook market is flawed because those who select the good (professors) do not purchase the good (students).  In other words, without the appropriate attention to the cost of textbooks, market forces do not drive down the cost.

Textbook publishers over the years have taken advantage of this arrangement through a number of strategies.  Some providers simply do not provide the cost of materials when advertising books to professors.  Others bundle books with unnecessary supplemental materials.  Publishers also update copies of textbooks as frequently as every 18 to 24 months, in order to make old editions obsolete.

Delegate Craig Rice and Senator Paul Pinsky are sponsoring legislation, House Bill 85 , regulating the sale of textbooks in Maryland.  Highlights of the bill include requiring institutions to publish textbook selections with ISBN numbers well before the beginning of the semester, requiring bundled and unbundled packages to be sold, requiring that publishers provide the cost of textbooks to professors during textbook selection, and requiring the development of a process to ensure professors recognize the cost of course materials.

I support the bill wholeheartedly, although there likely will have to be some minor revisions to ensure passage. What are your thoughts?  What have been your experiences buying textbooks?  What could be included in legislation to make the cost of textbooks more affordable for you?