The Senate Education Committee reported House Bill 2513 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass after adopting technical amendments. Counsel said the bill expands county board member orientation topics to include fiscal management and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, increases annual required training from seven to 12 hours, and requires makeup orientation within 30 days for members who cannot attend initial orientation and for appointed members within 30 days of appointment.

Committee discussion focused on compensation language and how the statutory cap interacts with board-level decisions. A senator asked whether the $260 figure referenced in bill materials represented per-meeting compensation; committee counsel and witness Jim Brown (identified as present to answer questions) explained the statutory landscape. Jim Brown testified that the current rate in practice was $160 and that legislative changes over time and advice from the ethics commission had created administrative challenges for counties. He said the bill sets a $260 cap but allows a county board to vote to set a lower rate to avoid an ethics conflict when boards cannot vote to raise their own pay during a sitting term.

Counsel and members also discussed meeting caps: the bill reduces the maximum compensable meetings from 50 to 40 in most years but allows exceptions (for example, bond or construction years). Committee members asked about how often boards meet (testimony indicated about twice monthly typically), and counsel explained the 40-meeting cap with limited exceptions.

After discussion, the committee adopted the amendment package and reported the measure to the full Senate with recommendation that it pass.

What happens next: The bill will go to the full Senate for further consideration; if enacted, it would change statutory training and compensation rules for county board members.