A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT requiring textbook publishers to make electronic copies of textbooks available to public school students.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑90 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑90.  Adoption of textbooks and contracts with publishers.
The publishers' sealed bids shall be opened in the presence of two persons designated by the State Board of Education and one person designated by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Board may then adopt the books required by the courses of study and enter into contracts with the publisher of adopted books. It may refuse to adopt  any of the books offered at the prices bid and call for new bids. When bids are accepted and a contract entered into, the contract may require, in the Board's discretion, that the total sales of each book  in the State of North Carolina be reported annually to the Board.
All textbook contracts shall include a clause granting to the State Board of Education the license to produce Braille, large print, and audio‑cassette tape copies of the textbooks for use in the State public schools. Also, the General Assembly urges the State Board of Education to request such a license from textbook publishers with whom a contract was entered into prior to August 1, 1987.
All textbook contracts shall include a clause requiring publishers to provide an electronic version of the textbook with any printed textbook they sell to the State Board of Education. Also, the General Assembly urges the State Board of Education to request such electronic versions from textbook publishers with whom a contract was entered into prior to July 1, 2003."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2003.