Senator Tina Smith Proposes Bill To Help College Students Afford Textbooks

(KNSI) – A Minnesota U.S. Senator has proposed a bill to help make college more affordable. Senator Tina Smith is one of the authors of the Affordable College Textbook Act.

“Well, when we think about the high cost of college, we often think about tuition. And that’s a big problem. But textbooks are also a significant expense for college students. Often, it’s the biggest expense at the end of the day when college students are trying to figure out how to make ends meet.”

She says two-thirds of students don’t buy their textbooks because they can’t afford them. The Affordable College Textbook Act would make college textbooks and educational materials online, available for free.

“The cost of college textbooks have gone up over 1,000%, since the 1970s, when I was in college. And I think this will help to kind of even the playing field a little bit for students.”

According to the Consumer Price Index, college textbook prices have more than doubled in the last two decades. According to the College Board, the average student budget for books and supplies at a four-year public school is $1,240. According to a 2016 report by U.S. PIRG, an estimated $3.15 billion in local, state, and federal student financial aid is spent annually on textbooks.

The Senator says four big textbook companies control 80% of the college textbook market in the country. Smith says the bill was introduced on March 10th and will start moving through the Senate process. She says it’s unclear if the bill can pass as a standalone bill or possibly as attached to a bigger piece of legislation as an amendment.

The Affordable College Textbook Act (H.R.7040/S.3818) was introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO).

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