Amended in Senate May 31, 2016

Amended in Senate April 12, 2016

Amended in Senate March 28, 2016

Senate BillNo. 1359


Introduced by Senator Block

February 19, 2016


An act to add Section 66406.9 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1359, as amended, Block. Public postsecondary education:begin delete education materials: textbooks.end deletebegin insert course materials.end insert

The Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the postsecondary education system in the state. These segments include the 3 public postsecondary segments: the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Private and independent postsecondary educational institutions constitute the other segment.

Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable.

Existing law urges textbook publishers to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to take specified actions with their respective academic senates, college and university bookstores, and faculty to promote the selection of textbooks that will result in cost savings to students.

This bill would require each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request each campus of the University of California, tobegin delete discloseend deletebegin insert identifyend insert in thebegin insert online version of theend insert campus course schedulebegin delete the most accurate retail price information and estimated total costs of required and recommended textbooks and supplemental materials, as specified.end deletebegin insert its courses that use at least in part digital course materials, as specified, and communicate to students that some or all course materials for these courses are free of charge and therefore not required to be purchased.end insert By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 66406.9 is added to the Education Code,
2to read:

3

66406.9.  

(a) Each campus of the California Community
4Colleges and the California State University shall, and each campus
5of the University of California is requested to,begin delete clearly disclose in
6the campus course schedule both of the following:end delete
begin insert do both of the
7following:end insert

begin delete

8(1) The most accurate retail price information of each required
9and recommended textbook and supplemental material for each
10course listed in the course schedule, consistent with the
P3    1requirements of the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act of
22008 (Public Law 110-315).

3(2) The most accurate estimated total costs of required and
4recommended textbooks and supplemental materials if purchased
5at the campus bookstore for each course offered by the campus.

6(b) For purposes of this section, “course schedule” is a collection
7of available classes, course sections, or both, published in print or
8electronically, before the start of an academic term.

end delete
begin insert

9
(1) (A) Clearly highlight, by means that may include a symbol
10or logo in a conspicuous place on the online campus course
11schedule, the courses that at least in part use digital course
12materials that are free of charge to students and have a low-cost
13option for print versions.

end insert
begin insert

14
(B) The course materials described in subparagraph (A) may
15include open educational resources, institutionally licensed campus
16library materials that all students enrolled in the course have
17access to use, and other properly licensed and adopted materials.

end insert
begin insert

18
(2) Clearly communicate to students that some or all course
19materials used for the courses identified pursuant to paragraph
20(1) are free of charge and therefore not required to be purchased.

end insert
begin insert

21
(b) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
22following meanings:

end insert
begin insert

23
(1) “Course schedule” is a collection of available classes,
24course sections, or both, published electronically, before the start
25of an academic term.

end insert
begin insert

26
(2) “Open educational resources” are high-quality teaching,
27learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain
28or have been released under an intellectual property license, such
29as a Creative Commons license, that permits their free use and
30repurposing by others, and may include other resources that are
31legally available and free of cost to students. “Open educational
32resources” include, but are not limited to, full courses, course
33materials, modules, textbooks, faculty-created content, streaming
34videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques
35used to support access to knowledge.

end insert
36

SEC. 2.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
37this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
38local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
P4    1pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
24 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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