College students hit the Capitol asking for cheaper textbooks

A few dozen college kids wearing suits they "borrowed from their friends" gathered in the Capitol today to lobby for cheaper textbooks. "You guys rock!" Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, told a crowded room of students from CSU, CU, UNC, Metro State and other schools. Textbooks "weigh a lot - they shouldn't have to cost a lot."

The students, who included Gov. Bill Ritter's son, August, reported paying $600 to $700 per semester for textbooks.

Legislation from Kefalas, Rep. Randy Fisher, D-Fort Collins, and Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, would require publishers to disclose the price of textbooks in advance
to college professors. Publishers would also have to sell books "unbundled" from
additional materials like CD-ROMs and study guides.

The bill passed the Senate education committee unanimously today.

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