Full Text of SR0298 95th General Assembly
SR0298 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Postsecondary education is increasingly necessary | 3 |
| for success in the modern workforce; and
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| WHEREAS, Affordability of college is an ongoing concern for | 5 |
| students, families, and State policymakers; and
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| WHEREAS, The cost of textbooks is a substantial and | 7 |
| escalating burden for students; and
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| WHEREAS, Other states have undertaken measures to curtail | 9 |
| the rising expense of textbook purchases; and
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| WHEREAS, The Senate of the 94th General Assembly passed | 11 |
| Senate Resolution 692, directing the Board of Higher Education | 12 |
| to study the feasibility of textbook rental programs and other | 13 |
| cost-saving measures to lower the cost of textbooks to | 14 |
| students; and
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| WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education conducted a | 16 |
| comprehensive study, which included surveys of institutions of | 17 |
| higher learning, private and campus bookstore owners and | 18 |
| operators, publishers, faculty, and students; and
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| WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education issued a report of |
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| its findings and a list of options for reducing textbook costs | 2 |
| that could be considered by the State, college and university | 3 |
| campuses, faculty, bookstores, and publishers; and
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| WHEREAS, Many of the options identified in the Board of | 5 |
| Higher Education's report were incorporated in a package of | 6 |
| bills, Senate Bills 325, 326, and 327, that passed unanimously | 7 |
| out of the Senate of the 95th General Assembly; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Senate Bills 325, 326, and 327 have not received a | 9 |
| hearing in the House of Representatives of the 95th General | 10 |
| Assembly; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 12 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that each public university | 13 |
| and community college shall undertake measures to reduce the | 14 |
| cost of textbooks to students, based on, but not limited to, | 15 |
| cost-saving measures contained in "A Report on the Feasibility | 16 |
| of Textbook Rental Programs and Other Textbook Cost-Saving | 17 |
| Alternatives in Illinois Public Higher Education", released in | 18 |
| January 2007; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That each campus may consider such measures as | 20 |
| enhanced book buy-back programs, book swaps, reserves, and | 21 |
| e-reserves of required textbooks, adherence to deadlines for | 22 |
| adoption of textbooks, disclosure to faculty and students of |
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| relevant information for the purchase of required textbooks and | 2 |
| course materials, and creation of textbook advisory committees | 3 |
| to recommend policies concerning adoption of new editions and | 4 |
| unbundling of textbooks and supplementary course materials and | 5 |
| to assist faculty in adoption of least-cost materials when | 6 |
| appropriate; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That public universities and community colleges | 8 |
| where the majority of students receive required textbooks and | 9 |
| course materials through a textbook rental program are exempt | 10 |
| from the directives of this resolution; and be it further | 11 |
| RESOLVED, That each public university shall report to the | 12 |
| Board of Higher Education and each public community college | 13 |
| shall report to the Illinois Community College Board on the | 14 |
| cost saving measures they have implemented to reduce textbook | 15 |
| expenses for students on or before March 1, 2008; and be it | 16 |
| further | 17 |
| RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education and the | 18 |
| Illinois Community College Board shall jointly report to the | 19 |
| chairpersons of the Senate Appropriations III committee, the | 20 |
| Senate Higher Education committee, the House | 21 |
| Appropriations-Higher Education committee, and the House | 22 |
| Higher Education committee on or before April 1, 2008 on the | 23 |
| findings and conclusions regarding campus efforts to reduce |
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| textbook costs to students, along with any recommendations for | 2 |
| further action; and be it further | 3 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 4 |
| delivered to the chairperson of the Board of Higher Education, | 5 |
| the chairperson of the Illinois Community College Board, and | 6 |
| the president of each public university and community college | 7 |
| in this State.
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