S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2444
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HAMILTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT requiring the boards of trustees of the state university  of  New
   York  and the city university of New York to conduct a joint study and
   report on the availability and accessibility of alternative high-qual-
   ity, lower cost course resources in lieu of traditional textbooks
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The board of trustees of the state university of New York
 shall conduct a study and prepare  a  report  on  the  availability  and
 accessibility  of  alternative high-quality, lower-cost course resources
 in lieu of traditional  textbooks,  which  may  include  open  education
 resources,  online textbooks and other related educational materials, to
 students enrolled in the state university or a  community  college.  The
 report shall include, but not be limited to:
   (a)  an  overview  of  current  initiatives undertaken by the board of
 trustees of the state university of New York  to  facilitate  access  to
 high-quality, lower-cost alternatives to traditional textbooks;
   (b)  information  related  to  average traditional textbook costs, the
 number of students who have used  alternative  high-quality,  lower-cost
 course  resources,  and cost savings of students who have purchased such
 high-quality, lower-cost alternatives in lieu of traditional textbooks;
   (c) any challenges associated with making more alternative high-quali-
 ty, lower-cost course resources widely available;
   (d) information regarding other states'  best  practices,  models  and
 initiatives  to  reduce overall textbook costs at institutions of higher
 education; and
   (e) recommendations on how  to  expand  the  use,  accessibility,  and
 distribution of alternative high-quality, lower-cost course resources.
   §  2.  The  board of trustees of the city university of New York shall
 conduct a study and prepare a report on the availability and accessibil-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00675-01-7

 S. 2444                             2
 
 ity of alternative high-quality, lower-cost course resources in lieu  of
 traditional  textbooks,  which  may  include  open  education resources,
 online textbooks and other related educational  materials,  to  students
 enrolled  in  the city university of New York. The report shall include,
 but not be limited to:
   (a) an overview of current initiatives  undertaken  by  the  board  of
 trustees  of  the  city  university  of New York to facilitate access to
 high-quality, lower-cost alternatives to traditional textbooks;
   (b) information related to average  traditional  textbook  costs,  the
 number  of  students  who have used alternative high-quality, lower-cost
 course resources, and cost savings of students who have  purchased  such
 high-quality, lower-cost alternatives in lieu of traditional textbooks;
   (c) any challenges associated with making more alternative high-quali-
 ty, lower-cost course resources widely available;
   (d)  information  regarding  other  states' best practices, models and
 initiatives to reduce overall textbook costs at institutions  of  higher
 education; and
   (e)  recommendations  on  how  to  expand  the use, accessibility, and
 distribution of alternative high-quality, lower-cost course resources.
   § 3. The board of trustees of the state university of New York and the
 board of trustees of the city university of  New  York  shall  submit  a
 final report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, tempo-
 rary  president  of  the  senate,  the  speaker of the assembly, and the
 chairs of the higher education committees in  the  assembly  and  senate
 within one year of the effective date of this act.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.