1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; requiring textbooks to be made available in electronic 
1.3 	format;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 135A.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [135A.27] ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS.
1.6 	(a) Any individual, firm, partnership, or corporation that publishes textbooks offered 
1.7 	for sale at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Colleges and University 
1.8 	system, or a private postsecondary educational institution in this state must, to the extent 
1.9 	practicable, make textbooks available for sale in an electronic format. The electronic 
1.10 	version of a textbook shall contain the same content as the printed version and may be 
1.11 	copy-protected. 
1.12 	(b) The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities shall, 
1.13 	and the University of Minnesota is requested to, require that 80 percent of all textbooks 
1.14 	available for purchase at any bookstore that services the college or university be made 
1.15 	available in a downloadable, electronic format. The pricing of electronic textbooks 
1.16 	shall not exceed the pricing of similar, noneducational materials currently offered in 
1.17 	the private market.
1.18 	(c) For purposes of this section, "textbook" means a book that contains printed 
1.19 	material and is intended for use as a source of study material for a class or group of 
1.20 	students, a copy of which is expected to be available for the use of each of the students in 
1.21 	that class or group.
1.22 	(d) This section does not authorize any use of instructional materials that would 
1.23 	constitute an infringement of copyright under the Copyright Revision Act of 1976, as 
1.24 	amended. 

2.1 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective January 1, 2016.