New Iowa law helps students shop for cheapest books
DES MOINES — Gov. Chet Culver has signed a bill intended to make it easier for students to save money on textbooks.
The bill asks public and private colleges to publicize bar code information for textbooks. Students can use the information to shop around for the best prices.
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, is an Iowa State University economics professor and he was a co-author of the bill. He said the bill gives students valuable information without interfering with colleges’ ability to decide which books are used.
“I think we struck the right balance. I think it’s a very good bill, and students are going to benefit from it,” he said.
Notably, the bill merely recommends that colleges post the textbook information, as opposed to mandating it.
Rep. Bill Schickel, R-Mason City, was one of several co-sponsors who unsuccessfully fought for a mandate. He became interested in the topic when he saw the price tag for his daughter’s textbooks.
Quirmbach said he wanted the less-restrictive wording to allow colleges to change the assigned text books, if needed. He said last-minute changes are needed sometimes, such as when new class sections are added, or as certain books suddenly become unavailable.
“I think you need to maintain some flexibility in the system,” he said.
Dan Gearino can be contacted at (515) 243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.