CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1375
Chapter 98, Laws of 2017
65th Legislature
2017 Regular Session
COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES--COURSE MATERIALS COST--INFORMATION
EFFECTIVE DATE: 7/23/2017
ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1375
Passed Legislature - 2017 Regular Session
State of Washington
65th Legislature
2017 Regular Session
By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Van Werven, Tarleton, Orwall, Griffey, Haler, Holy, McCabe, Young, Dent, Riccelli, Bergquist, Buys, Kraft, Kagi, Ryu, Muri, Goodman, Lovick, Frame, and Hargrove)
READ FIRST TIME 02/24/17.
AN ACT Relating to providing students with the costs of required course materials; adding a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  The legislature recognizes the high cost of textbooks and the burden this can create for students. The legislature also recognizes the work of the state board for community and technical colleges in creating the open course library, in which free textbooks and other course materials are available for eighty-one of the highest enrolled courses in the community and technical college system. The student public interest research groups completed a cost analysis of the open course library and found that students who take open course library courses save ninety-six dollars on average per course over a traditional textbook. Therefore, it is the legislature's intent to incentivize faculty to use resources available on the open course library by informing students of a textbook's cost when they register for a class.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW to read as follows:
(1) To the maximum extent practicable, but no later than the first full quarter after a community or technical college has implemented the ctcLink system, a community or technical college shall provide the following information to students during registration by displaying it in the online course description or by providing a link that connects to the bookstore's web site or other web site where students can search and view:
(a) The cost of any required textbook or other course materials; and
(b) Whether a course uses open educational resources.
(2) If a course's required textbooks and course materials are not determined prior to registration due to an unassigned faculty member, the textbooks' and course materials' cost must be provided as soon as feasible after a faculty member is assigned.
(3) Each community and technical college shall report to the college board which courses provided textbooks' and course materials' costs to students during registration, and what percent of total classes this equaled. The college board shall report the information to the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 by January 1st of each biennium, beginning with January 1, 2019.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2017, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.
Passed by the House March 8, 2017.
Passed by the Senate April 6, 2017.
Approved by the Governor April 21, 2017.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State April 21, 2017.
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