CA AB2982

Establishes the Fair Access to College Textbooks Act prohibiting public postsecondary institutions (California State University, California Community Colleges, and University of California) from automatically charging students for instructional materials without meeting specific conditions.

Requires automatic charges to be less than the price students could pay from other available sources and materials must be available by the first day of term for early enrollees and within seven days for later enrollees.

Prohibits charging calculations based on credit hours, number of courses, major, or program; charges must be based only on the cost of specific materials required for individual course sections.

Makes agreements between institutions and publishers, bookstores, or content providers regarding automatic material charges subject to the California Public Records Act, overriding commercial confidentiality exemptions.

Prohibits institutions from denying student access to charged materials based on refusal to consent to the sale, disclosure, licensing, or use of student data obtained through the materials; applies to contracts entered into or renewed on or after January 1, 2021.