A handful of higher education bills passed by one chamber of the General Assembly await debate in the second chamber and will die if they do not see discussion and a vote by Monday night.

The bills address a myriad of issues that would affect the campus, and a few still have a chance to be passed on to Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) to be signed into law.

Textbook Consortium

A bill proposed by Del. Peter Franchot (D-Montgomery) would create a University Textbook Consortium within the University System of Maryland, enabling system institutions to opt into the program that would give discounts on textbook purchases from publishers. The bill passed the House of Delegates unanimously and has received a favorable report at the committee level in the Senate. Committees report their findings to the full body, which usually follows the recommendations. Should it pass, the Board of Regents would have to establish the consortium by Dec. 1.

Fear the Turtle license plates

Senate President Mike Miller proposed a bill that would charge the state Motor Vehicle Administration with creating “Fear The Turtle!” license plates honoring the diamondback terrapin and benefiting student scholarships at the university. A similar bill was introduced last year but died. This year’s bill was approved unanimously by the Senate. The House has yet to act on it.

Other higher education bills are either already in the trash or on their way there.

Tuition assistance

Two House bills on tuition assistance will likely die after receiving unfavorable reports and failing to come to a vote.

One concerning tuition aid for firefighters and ambulance and rescue squad members would require recipients of aid to be state residents and to work a specified number of hours. The bill passed the House unanimously but received an unfavorable report in the Senate.

Another would give tuition waivers to Eagle Scouts or recipients of the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts’ equivalent. It received an unfavorable report in the House and has yet to come to a vote.

Credit cards

A bill in the House would require the Maryland Higher Education Commission to establish a policy regarding solicitation by credit card companies on college campuses and to create a credit card use education program for students. It received an unfavorable committee report and has not been discussed on the floor or voted on.

Academic Rights

A bill that would prohibit political or religious indoctrination in the classroom received an unfavorable report in a House committee and has not been voted on.