Textbook Disclosure, Pricing, and Access Act. [135A.25]

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Full 2007 Chapter 144 (Higher Education) legislative language can be found at  http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/getpub.php?type=law&year=2007&sn=0&num=144

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  Sec. 10. [135A.25] TEXTBOOK DISCLOSURE, PRICING, AND ACCESS.
    Subdivision 1. Short title. This section may be cited as the Textbook Disclosure,
Pricing, and Access Act.
    Subd. 2. Course material disclosures required. (a) Beginning January 1, 2009,
any publisher that sells or distributes course material for classroom use in a postsecondary
institution must make the following available in an easily accessible manner to faculty,
bookstores, and postsecondary institutions in Minnesota:
    (1) the title, edition, author, and International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or
other easily identifiable information for all course materials;
    (2) the undiscounted price at which the course materials are available to a bookstore;
    (3) the formats, including bundled and unbundled, in which those course materials
are offered and the undiscounted prices of the various components, both sold separately or
packaged together;
    (4) a summary of revisions between current and previous editions of course
materials; and
    (5) the return policy for course material, including any penalties or conditions for
returns.
    (b) Any publisher that sells or distributes course material for classroom use in a
postsecondary institution must make all bundled course material available to bookstores
and postsecondary institutions in an unbundled form, or must provide notice if unbundled
material is not available.
    (c) Disclosure under this section is not required for mass market and trade books that
are not published, marketed, or sold primarily for classroom use in or by postsecondary
institutions.
    (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit any existing academic freedom
or rights of faculty members to determine the most appropriate course material for the
courses they teach.
    Subd. 3. Educational strategies. Public postsecondary institutions must develop
educational materials considering the recommendations in studies by the Minnesota Office
of Higher Education and others and at least annually convene and sponsor meetings
and workshops, and provide educational strategies for faculty, students, administrators,
institutions, and bookstores to inform all interested parties on strategies for reducing the
costs of course materials for students attending postsecondary institutions.
    Subd. 4. Minnesota Office of Higher Education responsibilities. (a) For private
postsecondary institutions, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education must develop
educational materials considering the recommendations by the Minnesota Office of Higher
Education and others and at least annually convene and sponsor meetings and workshops
and provide educational strategies for faculty, students, administrators, institutions, and
bookstores to inform all interested parties on strategies for reducing the costs of course
materials for students attending postsecondary institutions.
    (b) The Minnesota Office of Higher Education must identify methods to compile and
distribute information on publishers that sell or distribute course material for classroom use
in postsecondary institutions in a manner that meets the requirements and complies with
subdivision 2. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education must also evaluate ways to make
this information available for use by students and faculty in postsecondary institutions.
    Subd. 5. Bookstores; course materials. The University of Minnesota and private
colleges are encouraged to comply with the requirements for instructors and bookstores
under section 136F.58, subdivision 2.