By: Naishtat H.B. No. 3382

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to providing certain computerized instructional material for blind and visually impaired students at public institutions of higher education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 51.970 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.970. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS. (a) In this section:

(1) "Blind or visually impaired student" includes any student whose visual acuity is impaired to the extent that the student is unable to read the print in the standard printed instructional material used in a course in which the student is enrolled.

(2) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(3) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

(4) "Instructional material" means a book, system of instructional material, or combination of a book and supplementary instructional material that conveys information to or otherwise contributes to the learning process of a student.

(5) "Special instructional material" means instructional material in Braille, large print, audio format, digital text, or any other medium or any apparatus that conveys information to or otherwise contributes to the learning process of a blind or visually impaired student.

(b) This section applies only to instructional material that is:

(1) written and published primarily for postsecondary instruction of students; and

(2) required or essential for a student's success in a course at an institution of higher education, as identified by the instructor of the course for which the instructional material will be used, in consultation with the person at the institution with primary responsibility for services for students with disabilities and in accordance with rules adopted under Subsection (j)(1).

(c) To assist the institution in producing special instructional material, a publisher or manufacturer of printed instructional material assigned by an institution of higher education for use by students in connection with a course at the institution shall provide to the institution on the institution's request in accordance with this section computerized files based on the printed instructional material. The publisher or manufacturer, as applicable, shall provide the computerized files not later than the 15th business day after the date of receipt of the request.

(d) A request made by an institution of higher education under Subsection (c) must:

(1) certify that for each blind or visually impaired student who will use specialized instructional material based on the requested computerized files for a course in which the student is enrolled at the institution, either the institution or the student has purchased a printed copy of the instructional material; and

(2) be signed by the person at the institution with primary responsibility for services for students with disabilities.

(e) A publisher or manufacturer may require that a request made by an institution of higher education under Subsection (c) include from each student for whom the institution is making the request a signed statement in which the student agrees:

(1) to use the requested computerized files and related special instructional material only for the student's own educational purposes; and

(2) not to copy or otherwise distribute in a manner that violates 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. the requested computerized files or the printed instructional material on which the requested computerized files are based.

(f) The computerized files of the printed instructional material must:

(1) be in a format that:

(A) except as provided by Subsection (g), contains all of the information that is in the printed instructional material, including any text, sidebar, table of contents, chapter headings, chapter subheadings, footnotes, index, glossary, and bibliography, and is approved by the publisher or manufacturer, as applicable, and the institution of higher education as a format that will contain that material; and

(B) is compatible with commonly used Braille translation and speech synthesis software; and

(2) include any correction or revision available at the time the computerized files are provided.

(g) If the publisher or manufacturer and the institution of higher education are not able to agree on a format as required by Subsection (f)(1)(A), the publisher or manufacturer, as applicable, shall provide the computerized files in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text or an equivalent text and in a format that contains as much of the material specified by that subsection as is practicable.

(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a publisher or manufacturer is not required to comply with Subsection (c) or (f), as applicable, if the coordinating board, using procedures and criteria adopted by coordinating board rule and based on information provided by the publisher or manufacturer, determines that:

(1) compliance by the manufacturer or publisher would violate a law, rule, or regulation relating to copyrights; or

(2) the printed instructional material on which computerized files would be based is:

(A) out of print; or

(B) in a format that makes it impracticable to convert the material into an electronic format.

(i) The coordinating board may impose a reasonable administrative penalty against a publisher or manufacturer that knowingly violates this section. The coordinating board shall provide for a hearing to be held, in accordance with coordinating board rule, to determine whether a penalty is to be imposed and the amount of any penalty. The coordinating board shall base the amount of any penalty on:

(1) the seriousness of the violation;

(2) any history of a previous violation;

(3) the amount necessary to deter a future violation;

(4) any effort to correct the violation; and

(5) any other matter justice requires.

(j) The coordinating board, in consultation with an advocacy organization for persons who are blind or visually impaired, shall adopt rules for administering this section, including rules that address:

(1) the method for identifying instructional material considered to be required or essential for a student's success in a course;

(2) the procedures and standards relating to distribution of computerized files under this section; and

(3) any other matter considered necessary or appropriate for the administration of this section.

SECTION 2. (a) Section 51.970, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with requests for computerized files of printed instructional material assigned for use by students in the 2008 spring semester.

(b) Not later than November 1, 2007, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules as required by Section 51.970(i), Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007.