Bill 3145

                    Current Status

Introducing Body:               House
Bill Number:                    3145
Primary Sponsor:                Meacham
Committee Number:               04
Type of Legislation:            GB
Subject:                        Textbook Reform Act of 1993
Residing Body:                  Senate
Current Committee:              Education
Computer Document Number:       DKA/4078AL.93
Introduced Date:                19930114    
Date of Last Amendment:         19930422    
Last History Body:              Senate
Last History Date:              19930427    
Last History Type:              Introduced, read first time,
                                referred to Committee
Scope of Legislation:           Statewide
All Sponsors:                   Meacham
                                     Simrill
                                     A. Young
                                     R. Smith
                                     Wofford
                                     Moody-Lawrence
                                     Felder
                                     Stille
                                     Vaughn
                                     Haskins
                                     Harrison
                                     H. Brown
                                     Witherspoon
Type of Legislation:            General Bill

Bill  Body    Date          Action Description              CMN  Leg Involved
____  ______  ____________  ______________________________  ___  ____________

3145  Senate  19930427      Introduced, read first time,    04
                            referred to Committee
3145  House   19930423      Read third time, sent to
                            Senate
3145  House   19930422      Amended, read second time,
                            unanimous consent for third
                            reading tomorrow
3145  House   19930420      Committee Report: Favorable     21
                            with amendment
3145  House   19930114      Introduced, read first time,    21
                            referred to Committee

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 22, 1993

H. 3145

Introduced by REPS. Meacham, Simrill, A. Young, R. Smith, Wofford, Moody-Lawrence, Felder,

Stille, Vaughn, Haskins, Harrison, H. Brown and Witherspoon

S. Printed 4/22/93--H.

Read the first time January 14, 1993.

A BILL

TO ENACT THE TEXTBOOK REFORM ACT OF 1993; TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-5-66 SO AS TO REQUIRE THE TEXTBOOK SELECTION COMMITTEE TO BE COMPOSED OF A MAJORITY OF LAY PERSONS WITH EXPERTISE IN THE AREA CONSIDERED; SECTION 59-31-35 SO AS TO EXPAND TEXTBOOK SELECTION CRITERIA; SECTION 59-31-45 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENTS FOR PROPOSED TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS; AND SECTION 59-31-555 SO AS TO REQUIRE PUBLISHERS TO PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE OF ACCURACY FOR MATERIALS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act is known as the Textbook Reform Act of 1993.

SECTION 2. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-5-66. The State Board of Education shall appoint an Instructional Materials Review Panel for each area of study in which textbooks or instructional materials are considered. The board shall promulgate regulations pertaining to the membership of the panel and guidelines for the panel. In promulgating regulations, the board shall recommend that twenty-five percent of the persons appointed to the panel be lay people. A representative of a publisher that solicits the sale of instructional materials in this State or an employee of a publisher or representative or employee of a business that sells instructional materials to public schools or public post secondary educational institutions must not be appointed to an instructional materials review panel."

SECTION 3. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-31-35. The State Board of Education, through the State Department of Education, shall develop criteria for the appraisal of textbooks offered for sale in the State."

SECTION 4. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-31-45. Copies of proposed textbooks approved by the Instructional Materials Review Panel must be made available to the public for review at sites geographically dispersed around the State at least thirty days before the date of the state board meeting at which adoption of the textbook is to be discussed. The department must provide notice to the public of the availability of the textbooks at public review sites in a newspaper of general circulation in each congressional district."

SECTION 5. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-31-555. The publisher shall provide for correction of materials in the event typographical or factual errors are found. The State Department of Education, in the contract for textbooks, shall cause a provision to be included providing for a penalty or replacement of materials for typographical errors, errors of fact, or other similar mistakes in the event the publisher does not act in good faith to correct errors."

SECTION 6. Section 59-31-530 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-31-530. Original contracts made with publishers of all textbooks shall run instructional materials runs for a period of from one to four years plus an indefinite period which may be terminated either by the State Board of Education or the publisher upon ninety days' notice, provided notice is given ninety days before January first of the year of cancellation."

SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.