Governor signs Textbook Transparency Act
29 June 2008
Education costs
In an attempt to alleviate some of the ever rising cost of education, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt signed into law the Textbook Transparency Act (House Bill 2048). Originally proposed by Rep. Jake Zimmerman (D- Olivette), the Act aims to force textbook publishers to disclose their wholesale prices to professors, thus allowing them to decide if a more expensive textbook is worth purchase or not. Also aiding in this decision, the Act requires professors to be informed of the content difference between a new edition and its previous one. [1]
University of Missouri student lobbyist Craig Stevenson said, “The perception is that professors have been left in the dark about how much a book is sold for. Publishing companies make the pitch on the books that they will make the most money from.” All of the publishing companies declined to comment. [2]
