Two Rio Grande Valley representatives have filed bills seeking a tax-free period of time for textbook sales, hoping to help make college more affordable for students.

State representatives Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, filed separate bills seeking the same tax exemption for college textbooks but with different time periods.

Canales’ bill calls for seven days in January and August, while Lucio’s bill would extend the tax exemption throughout each month.

“It’s essentially a tax-free holiday for textbooks,” Canales said. “We think that is important because everyone knows that in general college students are not rich. So we need to provide relief where we can to make education more accessible and affordable.”

The two bills specify that full-time and part-time students would be able to take advantage of the exemption as long as they can provide proof of enrollment.

The state comptroller would then determine how the buyers would prove their enrollment status when making online purchases during the designated period of time.

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