BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 230
	By: Seliger
	Local Government
	5/24/2021
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

County commissioners are required to complete at least 16 classroom hours of continuing education annually, however, COVID-19 hindered commissioners' ability to travel and meet in person to fulfill these requirements. Therefore, continuing education was permitted online.

S.B. 230 permanently strikes the in-person classroom requirement, granting county commissioners the ability to complete their training either online or in-person. In doing so, commissioners across the state may attain their requirements in a more efficient manner.

(Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

S.B. 230 amends current law relating to the continuing education requirement for county commissioners.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Sections 81.0025(a) and (b), Local Government Code, as follows:

(a) Deletes existing text specifying that the 16 hours of continuing education in the performance of the duties of county commissioners that a county commissioner is required to complete at least once in each 12-month period must be classroom hours.

(b) Authorizes the continuing education instruction required by Section 81.0025 (Continuing Education) to be completed online with the approval of the commissioners court, except a county commissioner is required to complete the instruction in person in the first 12-month period of the commissioner's first term.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2021.