With the costs of higher education annually increasing, it’s about time students get a break.

With that in mind, State Senator Johnie Hammond of Ames introduced a bill in the Legislature to help curb the costs of higher education by offering a sales tax exemption on the thing that every student buys — textbooks.

Senate File 268 says “the bill exempts from the sales and use taxes the sale of textbooks by a bookstore located in the city of an accredited higher education institution to a full-time or part-time student enrolled in such institution.”

The bill also defines textbooks as electronic textbooks, computer software, interactive videodiscs and other computer courseware and magnetic media.

With students’ pocketbooks shrinking because of tuition hikes by the Board of Regents, this is a refreshing gesture from Hammond and her fellow members of the Iowa Senate.

Hammond and her co-sponsor of the bill, Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City, seem to have their hands on the pulse of college students, not only at Iowa State and the University of Iowa, but around the state.

“It is important that we help the students whenever we can,” Hammond said. “I have struggled to get members of the Legislature to recognize the concerns of the students.”

Hammond and Bolkcom should be applauded, but the real instigators of the bill deserve praise, too. And they are none other than members of ISU’s student body.

The bill was initiated by members of GSB, mainly President Bryan Burkhardt and Director of Inter-Governmental Affairs DeDe Jordan-Harris.

Burkhardt and Jordan-Harris have done extensive research about the process. Similar states such as Texas, Minnesota and New York have adopted similar measures. Both Burkhardt and Jordan-Harris have worked diligently for the tax exemption.

It is refreshing to see members of GSB standing up for students statewide. The whole Senate should be commended.

The bill is far from being passed, and there are plenty of roadblocks ahead. Unless the state legislators can agree on the amount of revenue the state can afford to lose, the bill probably will fail.

But hopefully, the legislators will take a cue from GSB senators and remember the needs of the students.