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Senate bill attempts to make textbooks cheaper
Student senate proposes legislation to make textbooks tax-free
By: Melissa Appel
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: News
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Senators proposed bills relating to legislation in discussion or on the floor of the Texas Legislature. The vote and subsequent passage of the bills serves to reflect the opinion of Texas A&M Student Government Association.
Senators discussed issues critical to Aggie students, including saving money on textbooks, dealing with meningitis, and future admission standards of the University.
The Senate unanimously approved to support a bill giving a tax break to college students purchasing textbooks. The state legislature is considering a bill that would make college textbooks tax- free for a period of two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.
"If the state were to get rid of the 8.5 percent sales tax on textbooks, it would save A&M students well into the million dollar range," said Senator Hayden Paul, one of the authors of the Senate bill.
Reasoning behind the bill included lessening the burden on college students with limited funds and promoting local Texas businesses, which often lose textbook business to cheaper online sites.
Senators unanimously passed a bill that suggested easing access to or reducing the cost of meningitis vaccines. Senators noted that bacterial meningitis is an especially important issue to address, as the illness affected students on the A&M campus last year.
Considerable discussion was brought up concerning the Top 10 percent Law Modification Bill. Currently, the state of Texas requires that public universities, including Texas A&M, automatically admit students who ranked in the top 10 percent academically in their high school senior class.
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