BILL NUMBER: SB 1053 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senators Steinberg and Alquist
(Principal coauthors: Senators De León, Liu, Pavley, and Yee)
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Blumenfield and Solorio)
FEBRUARY 8, 2012
An act to add Section 66408 to the Education Code, relating to
public postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1053, as introduced, Steinberg. Public postsecondary education:
California Digital Open Source Library.
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
specific 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 express legislative findings and declarations
relating to the cost of college and university textbooks. The bill
would add provisions to the Donahoe Higher Education Act to establish
the California Digital Open Source Library, under the joint
administration of the University of California, the California State
University, and the California Community Colleges, for the purpose of
housing open source materials while providing a Web-based way for
students, faculty, and staff to easily find, adopt, utilize, or
modify course materials for little or no cost. The bill would require
that the materials in the library bear a creative commons
attribution license that allows others to use, distribute, and create
derivative works based upon the digital material while still
allowing the authors or creators of the material to receive credit
for their efforts.
The bill would become operative only if SB ___ becomes operative
on or before January 1, 2013, and establishes the California Open
Education Resources Council.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) The cost of attending California's public colleges and
universities has skyrocketed in recent years. While fees often tend
to be the most visible cost, other costs not related to tuition, such
as the cost of textbooks, significantly burden both students and
their families.
(2) For example, the average annual student budget for textbooks
at California's community colleges can be almost 150 percent of the
cost of tuition. Recent studies show that, due to the cost of
textbooks, many students forgo purchasing them altogether. For many
students receiving the Cal Grant B stipend intended for books and
other living expenses, such as transportation, rent, and food, their
entire stipend may be spent on textbooks alone.
(3) With open education resources (OER), California can offer
students in the 50 most widely taken lower division courses the
highest quality textbooks and related materials at no cost online or
for about $20 per textbook in hardcopy.
(4) OER will bring California's college and university experience
into the 21st century while providing students and their families
with sorely needed financial relief and while providing faculty more
flexible and dynamic tools to enhance student success.
(5) As the state moves towards OER, students and families can be
provided immediate relief with more access to textbooks available on
reserve at campus libraries.
(b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to accomplish
both of the following:
(1) Create the California Digital Open Source Library to serve as
a statewide repository for high-quality digital open source textbooks
and related materials.
(2) Provide for the availability of free copies of textbooks to be
placed on reserve at campus libraries.
SEC. 2. Section 66408 is added to the Education Code, to read:
66408. (a) The California Open Source Digital Library is hereby
established and shall be jointly administered by the University of
California, the California State University, and the California
Community Colleges, for the purpose of housing open source materials
while providing a Web-based way for students, faculty, and staff to
easily find, adopt, utilize, or modify course materials for little or
no cost.
(b) All material in the California Open Source Digital Library
shall bear a creative commons attribution license that allows others
to use, distribute, and create derivative works based upon the
digital material while still allowing the authors or creators of the
material to receive credit for their efforts.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the public
postsecondary educational segments provide incentives to assist and
support faculty in choosing lower cost alternatives such as open
source textbooks and related teaching tools.
SEC. 3. This act shall become operative only if Senate Bill ____
of the 2011-12 Regular Session becomes operative on or before January
1, 2013, and establishes the California Open Education Resources
Council.