2008 Woodie Awards
Bill aims to drop 5 percent sales tax from textbook sales
Senate to review legislation Thursday
Chris Klarer
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Campus
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Students cannot start celebrating just yet, though. Even if the bill were passed by the Senate, it would still have to pass through the house to be signed by the governor.
Baity said since the language of the bill identifies July 1 as the date the new provision would go into effect the bill will most likely have to be rewritten and the whole process repeated if it is not signed by the governor at that point.
"If this is something that students are in favor of, they need to make their voice heard," he said.
Fight Club, a student group started by USG senators to help air students' concerns, has identified textbook prices as one of 14 issues it will work on in the group's recent "Southern at 140" plan. The plan is meant to address issues that are important to students in the short term, and is a response to the larger-scale development plan "Southern at 150."
Fight Club co-founder Matt Picchietti said it is important to look at the big picture.
"This is the first step that has to happen to start moving towards making textbooks less about business and more about education," Picchietti said.
Cratic said the bill is indeed the first step. There are two other bills, Illinois Senate Bills 325 and 326, that will eventually need to be advocated for, he said.
SB325 would require schools to set up textbook advisement committees to craft and enact policies regarding textbooks. The other bill, SB326, would require manufactures to disclose wholesale prices and a history of revisions made to textbooks so professors could better assess when updating to new editions is necessary.
"We're keeping our eyes and ears open for what else can be done," Picchietti said. "But it's going to be a slow process, and again, this is the first step."
cklarer@siu.edu
536-3311 ext. 267
Baity said since the language of the bill identifies July 1 as the date the new provision would go into effect the bill will most likely have to be rewritten and the whole process repeated if it is not signed by the governor at that point.
"If this is something that students are in favor of, they need to make their voice heard," he said.
Fight Club, a student group started by USG senators to help air students' concerns, has identified textbook prices as one of 14 issues it will work on in the group's recent "Southern at 140" plan. The plan is meant to address issues that are important to students in the short term, and is a response to the larger-scale development plan "Southern at 150."
Fight Club co-founder Matt Picchietti said it is important to look at the big picture.
"This is the first step that has to happen to start moving towards making textbooks less about business and more about education," Picchietti said.
Cratic said the bill is indeed the first step. There are two other bills, Illinois Senate Bills 325 and 326, that will eventually need to be advocated for, he said.
SB325 would require schools to set up textbook advisement committees to craft and enact policies regarding textbooks. The other bill, SB326, would require manufactures to disclose wholesale prices and a history of revisions made to textbooks so professors could better assess when updating to new editions is necessary.
"We're keeping our eyes and ears open for what else can be done," Picchietti said. "But it's going to be a slow process, and again, this is the first step."
cklarer@siu.edu
536-3311 ext. 267
