If you spent any time at the Boston University Bookstore over the past few days, the experience was probably doubly painful. Lines at the bookstore at this time of year can be excruciatingly long – but this is only a temporary frustration. Exorbitant textbook prices, however, leave a lasting mark on the wallet, and they are only getting worse every year.

With this in mind, we applaud Representative Steven Walsh, who has sponsored a proposal to make textbooks more affordable. Walsh seems to understand many of the concerns regarding the escalating costs of texts. Among them are publishers’ seemingly incessant practices of issuing new editions of books that often do not differ significantly from previous editions and that frequently include unnecessary supplementary material. Walsh’s bill would require publishers to disclose how new editions differ from their predecessors and just how long the companies plan to wait before releasing new editions. It would also allow students to buy textbooks and accompanying materials separately.

Student-friendly measures such as this are a welcome change from the messages emanating from other levels of government – Boston’s City Council and the U.S. Congress. The Council has appeared bent on making life harder for students and their universities. One recent proposal would charge universities $100 per student to compensate for the increased cost of city services caused by riots and other supposedly student-charged behavior. It seems likely that such a proposal would only force universities to pass the cost on to students. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate recently approved significant cuts to education spending, making it more difficult for students to obtain the loans that are essential in mitigating the ever-increasing price tags of higher education.

If the State Legislature approves the textbook legislation, it would send a message of support to students when all they seem to be getting from other corners are messages of animosity. An $800 tab for textbooks pales in comparison to the more than $40,000 in tuition and room and board charged by many universities nowadays, but many students – such as those attending school on full scholarships – are nevertheless struggling to make ends meet, and high textbook prices only exacerbate the situation.

The state has the opportunity to make it known that it cares about the students living here and the cause of higher education. Textbooks may seem like small potatoes when compared to other measures on legislators’ plates, but this bill would go a long way toward making students feel welcome in Massachusetts.