(a) The State Superintendent of Education, members of the State Board of Education, local superintendents of education, and members of local boards of education shall not do any of the following:
- (1) Possess an interest, directly or indirectly, in any contract that might be made pursuant to this article for the purchase of textbooks by the state or local boards of education.
- (2) Possess any interest as an author, an associate author, a publisher, a representative or agent of an author or of a publisher of any textbook.
- (3) Possess any pecuniary interest, directly or indirectly, in the business or profits of any person, firm or corporation engaged in manufacturing, publishing, or selling of textbooks.
- (4) Accept any emolument, promise of future reward or consideration of value of any kind from any publisher of textbooks or his or her agent.
- (b) Each member of the State Board of Education and each member of all local boards of education shall prepare an affidavit as required by Section 16-36-62 in the case of members of local textbook committees.
- (c) Any violation of this section shall be unlawful. Upon conviction of such a violation, the person shall be subject to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or five years in the state penitentiary, or both, and his or her office as a superintendent, or as a member of the State Board of Education or member of a local board of education shall be forfeited.
(Act 98-320, p. 544, §7.)