AN ACT CONCERNING TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2006) All publishers of college textbooks shall provide prospective purchasers of their products a complete list of all of the publisher's products, wholesale prices of such products and estimated length of time that the publisher intends to keep the products on the market. The publisher shall provide the list to the prospective purchaser at the start of any sales interaction, whether it be in person, by phone or electronically. The publisher shall publish such information on any Internet web site such publisher operates. For purposes of this section, "products" means all versions of a textbook or set of textbooks in a subject area, including supplemental items, both when sold together or separately from a textbook.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2006) The Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall develop policies governing the use of store credits at stores on the campuses of the colleges under its jurisdiction that sell required textbooks for courses taught at the colleges. Such policies shall (1) require the credits be available at such stores, (2) allow the credits to be used toward the purchase of such textbooks, (3) require the credits to be available to students who receive financial aid, and (4) provide that if such credit is used by a student receiving financial aid, the amount of the purchase price of the textbooks for which the credit is used be deducted from the amount of aid money the student is scheduled to receive and the amount of the credit deducted be repaid by the student under the original terms of the aid agreement.

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2006) The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System shall develop policies governing the use of store credits at stores on the campuses of the universities under its jurisdiction that sell required textbooks for courses taught at the universities. Such policies shall (1) require the credits be available at such stores, (2) allow the credits to be used toward the purchase of such textbooks, (3) require the credits to be available to students who receive financial aid, and (4) provide that if such credit is used by a student receiving financial aid, the amount of the purchase price of the textbooks for which the credit is used be deducted from the amount of aid money the student is scheduled to receive and the amount of the credit deducted be repaid by the student under the original terms of the aid agreement.

Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2006) The Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut shall develop policies governing the use of store credits at stores on the campuses of the university under its jurisdiction that sell required textbooks for courses taught at the university. Such policies shall (1) require the credits be available at such stores, (2) allow the credits to be used toward the purchase of such textbooks, (3) require the credits to be available to students who receive financial aid, and (4) provide that if such credit is used by a student receiving financial aid, the amount of the purchase price of the textbooks for which the credit is used be deducted from the amount of aid money the student is scheduled to receive and the amount of the credit deducted be repaid by the student under the original terms of the aid agreement.

Statement of Purpose:

To make college textbooks more affordable and accessible by requiring disclosure of textbook pricing before a sales transaction is entered into and to provide for a system for students to purchase textbooks using financial aid that has not yet been received by the student.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]