Several lawmakers are calling for an investigation of the college textbook industry, claiming that high textbook prices are becoming a financial burden for students.

Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) introduced legislation last month that would trigger a Congressional investigation into the average amount of money students spend on textbooks and the average cost of producing a new textbook or new edition of a textbook.

If passed, the bill would also investigate reasons for price discrepancies between textbooks in the United States and those produced in foreign countries.

Brian Branton, Wu’s legislative director, said the congressman is concerned about the possibility of rising textbook prices.

“He wants to study the problem to see exactly the extent of the problem, the root of the problem and what some things that Congress can do to help people are,” Branton said.

A study of New York colleges by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) found that students are paying an average of $922 per academic year on textbooks, a 41 percent increase since 1998.

Branton said Wu’s bill would likely be offered as an amendment to the Affordability in Higher Education Act, a more far-reaching bill that seeks to hold universities accountable for tuition increases.

Cliff Ewert, vice president of Public and Campus Relations for the Follett Higher Education Group, which operates the GW Bookstore, attributed the high prices of individual textbooks to the limited number of books that are published.

“Many textbooks are limited in how many are published, and 5 or 10,000 is a lot,” he said.

Ewert said the cost of paying faculty members for writing and reviewing textbooks and the high-quality paper on which books are printed also increase cost. He said that publishing companies are responsible for setting textbook prices, not Follett or GW.

Books are cheaper in foreign markets because the prices reflect local market conditions, which are influenced by factors such as university tuition prices and government educational policies, according to the Association of American Publishers.

Cheaper prices overseas are also meant to undercut piracy, which results when textbooks are too expensive for the local market, said Pat Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers.

In recent years, the Internet has facilitated the importation of cheaper textbooks, creating grief for publishing houses, which receive complaints about the textbooks, Schroeder said.

Students buying textbooks on the Internet run the risk of receiving damaged goods or books that aren’t supposed to be sold in the United States, Schroeder said. For instance, certain textbooks might use the metric system or be made of less durable materials.

Despite reasons given for different textbook costs overseas, students are still clamoring for cheaper books. Many students use online book buying services such as Half.com and Ecampus.com. Two GW students set up a book trading Web site – VarsityText.com – last year.

Last month, the Student Association Senate passed a resolution that called on the GW Bookstore to look into purchasing textbooks from foreign countries. Students spend an average of $880 on books for the academic year, according to the University Web site.

While importing textbooks presents several problems, bookstores are looking into buying foreign-made books, said Gwen Gardner, president of the National Association of College Stores.

“It’s not as reliable, and more complicated with shipping costs and returns for unsold copies, but it can be done,” Gardner said.

“We don’t feel like it’s fair to either us or our students,” Gardner said of textbook prices.