SB383 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Dick Brewbaker

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Textbooks, purchasing of by boards of education, use of qualified depository for textbooks established, Secs. 16-36-60.1, 16-36-71 added; Secs. 16-36-62, 16-36-64, 16-36-65 am'd.

Summary

SB383 creates a system of qualified textbook depositories in Alabama to store, distribute, and manage textbook purchases (including digital textbooks) while restricting prices and establishing a study commission for digital materials.

What This Bill Does

It establishes qualified depositories that receive textbook orders, store enough stock, and distribute books to local school systems. It requires publishers to stock and supply textbooks at depositories and prohibits depositories from charging boards, while allowing publishers to be charged by the depositories; it also keeps price limits in place and ensures digital textbooks are included. It creates a Digital Depository Study Commission to examine how the depository model could apply to digital materials and report to the Legislature.

Who It Affects

• Local boards of education and their school districts: more formalized access to textbooks through qualified depositories, potential cost controls, and new stock and distribution arrangements; they may be required to work with depositories and report on textbook adoptions.
• Textbook publishers and distributors: must maintain stock at qualified depositories, may be charged by publishers via the depositories, must honor price limits, and face contract and bonding consequences if they fail to supply or stock books as required.

Key Provisions

• Defines qualified depository as a state-based facility receiving orders, storing, and distributing textbooks (including digital textbooks) and operating within Alabama.
• Qualified depositories may not charge boards for their services but may charge publishers; publishers can contract with depositories to pay such fees; prices paid to publishers must not exceed legally set maximums.
• Requires publishers to maintain sufficient stock at a qualified depository and allows contracting boards to recover the full value of undelivered books from the publisher’s bond and terminate the contract if stock isn’t supplied.
• Amends Sections 16-36-62, 16-36-64, and 16-36-65 to formalize local textbook committees, disclosure, adoption procedures, and price controls; requires adherence to price caps and specific contract terms.
• Explicitly includes digital textbooks in the state’s purchasing framework and permits use of qualified depositories for digital materials.
• Creates the Digital Depository Study Commission (12 members) to study applying the depository system to digital materials and to propose legislative changes, with meetings before the 2016 Regular Session.
• Effective date: immediate upon passage and approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Textbooks