Urge your Senator to Make Textbooks Affordable

Last month, we won a huge victory to lower textbook prices. The U.S. House passed legislation in The College Opportunity and Affordability Act that will help curb rising textbook costs.

We’re not done yet. Now it’s time to make sure it gets through the Senate!

Right now the House and Senate are combining their versions of the bill. The Senate’s version does not address textbook prices at all. Thankfully, Senator Durbin (IL) and Senator Coleman (MN) have co-authored a letter to all of the other Senators asking them to include the textbook provisions.

Ask your Senator to take a stand on textbook prices by signing the letter today!

The typical student spends $900 a year on textbooks - about a fifth of tuition at state universities and nearly half of tuition at community colleges. Textbook publishers have been doing everything in their power to drive prices higher. They bundle textbooks with those useless CDs and passcodes. They issue new editions to make used books impossible to find. All the while, they keep professors in the dark about how much they charge students!

The House bill addresses these problems. Publishers will have to tell professors textbook prices and the revisions they've made between editions. They’ll also have to sell textbooks unbundled from supplements. The bill also asks schools to give students their textbook lists before classes start – so you have time to shop around.

For this to become law, Senators need to hear from students! Tell your Senator to take action against textbook prices today!

Follow these 3 easy steps to help out.
1. Look over the message below, and feel free to add your own comments. Using your own words makes the message more meaningful.
2. Sign the letter by filling in the form below. We will not share your information with anyone else.
3. Click the button to send your message.

Letter	Dear Senator, I am writing to urge you to sign the Durbin/Coleman letter on textbook affordability, which supports the inclusion of three provisions from the House Higher Education Act language (HR 4137) in the final version of the bill. Textbooks can be a huge part of college costs. The average student pays around $900 per year, which is a fifth of tuition at a typical state university. Affordable textbooks are part of an affordable education. The three critical provisions in the House version of the Higher Education Act address high textbook costs. The bill: 1. Requires publishers to provide faculty with textbook pricing information, so they can make informed choices. 2. Requires publishers to sell all textbooks and supplemental items separately, so students are not forced to purchase costly bundles. 3. Asks schools to include the list of textbooks during course registration, so students can make informed choices and seek lower prices. Students need your help to ensure the final version of the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill contains these provisions to make textbooks affordable. Please stand up for students and sign the Durbin/Coleman Dear Colleague letter to Senator Kennedy on textbook affordability. Sincerely,
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