As any student knows, the cost of textbooks can make the already high cost of college even more of a burden on the budget. Luckily for students in Massachusetts, there is a measure in the works to help regulate textbook prices and reduce the number of new editions released.

House Bill No. 1262, sponsored by Rep. Steven M. Walsh (D-Lynn), was presented to the Joint Committee on Higher Education on Jan. 18. If approved by the committee, the bill will then be voted on by the state legislature and, if passed, students could see its benefits as soon as next fall.

The bill addresses numerous issues that drive up the cost of textbooks, including bundled supplements and frequent new editions that prevent students from selling back their books.

It addresses the bundling issue by requiring publishers to provide materials and textbooks separately instead of forcing students to buy a single package with possibly unnecessary material.

Sara Puccio, a freshman undecided major, understands the headache of bundled materials.

“In my Spanish class we had to buy a package with a book and a CD and a workbook, but we only needed the book,” she said. “The bookstore wouldn’t sell them separately.”

Puccio, who said she spent about $400 on books this semester, said she was annoyed by the high cost of her textbooks and the fact that she was forced to buy her third Spanish-English dictionary, which was bundled with the book she needed.

The bill also encourages professors to consider cheaper textbooks and encourage students to consider on-campus and online book swaps.

The cost of textbooks already has many students looking to the Internet for a cheaper alternative to the campus bookstore. Sites like www.ebay.com and www.half.com are popular for students looking to find less expensive versions of books. However, problems can arise because of unreliable sellers.

Dan Price, a sophomore music industry major, said he knows some students who have had success over the Internet, but also knows some students who didn’t receive their books for up to four months.

The bill takes on the problem of multiple editions by requiring publishers to provide information on their Web sites explaining the differences between editions and how long before a new edition comes out.

The constant updating of editions can be costly and unnecessary, said Lilly Austen, a senior pre-medicine major.

“I have lots of science courses and the editions change every year pretty much, and prices go up with each edition,” Austen said.

Austen said the new editions do not even improve upon the textbooks.

“My professors will actually say, ‘This edition sucks, but there will be a new one next year.’ In my zoology class, they’re letting us use the old edition and just refer to the new one in the bookstore because it’s getting so out of hand,” she said.