HB431 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jeremy OdenAlabama Public Service Commission

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Steve McMillanDavid GrimesGreg Wren

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Higher education, employees prohibited from receiving incentives from publishers, posting of required textbook lists, cost of textbooks limited, College Textbook Review Board established, members, duties

Summary

HB431 aims to lower college textbook costs in Alabama by banning publisher incentives for staff, requiring posting of required textbooks, and creating a state College Textbook Review Board to oversee price controls and cost-saving measures.

What This Bill Does

It prohibits employees at public two-year or four-year colleges from taking payments or incentives from publishers for requiring certain textbooks, with limited exceptions. It requires each institution to post lists of required or assigned textbooks, including ISBN and other details, on its website and at central locations (and at bookstores when applicable). It directs institutions to develop policies that minimize textbook costs while preserving quality, including processes for adoptions, avoiding unnecessary bundled items, and ensuring affordable options for students. It creates the College Textbook Review Board to study costs, interface with publishers and independent bookstores, and establish rules and cost-control policies, including justifying new editions and limiting price increases, with implementation rules due by October 1, 2010, and guidelines on how funds from bookstore revenue for financial aid are treated.

Who It Affects

• Students at public two-year and four-year Alabama colleges: they would have posted lists of required textbooks with pricing information and potentially access to more affordable options and used textbooks.
• Faculty, administrators, publishers, and campus bookstores: they must comply with the incentives ban, posting requirements, and cost-saving policies; publishers and independent bookstores become subject to board oversight and new edition justification and pricing controls.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits any public college or university employee from demanding or receiving incentives (payments, loans, subscriptions, etc.) from publishers to require a specific textbook, with limited exceptions for sample or instructor copies and royalties for instructor-authored works.
• Requires posting of lists of required or assigned textbooks in a standard format, with ISBN and other details, on the institution's website and at central locations; bookstores must post lists when applicable.
• Requires institutions to implement cost-saving policies to minimize textbook costs while maintaining educational quality, including lead times for adoptions, management of bundled items, price transparency, and ensuring availability of affordable or used options.
• Ensures financial aid funds from bookstore revenue are not counted toward state appropriations for student financial aid.
• Establishes the College Textbook Review Board (11 faculty members) to interface with publishers and independent bookstores, explore textbook cost issues, and create and enforce cost-control policies; includes appointment structure, diversity requirements, two-year terms, and rulemaking authority with a target implementation date by October 1, 2010.
• Empowers the Board to justify new editions, set maximum price increases for reprints of the same edition, require publishers to mail marketing brochures to instructors, and develop guidelines for cost-control actions across public colleges and universities.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Colleges and Universities