The New Hampshire Senate has passed a bill that would require at least one board member at any charity that receives public funds to undergo courses in financial management, governance, and ethics, according to the New Hampshire Business Review.

The legislation, sent to the House Jan. 18 on a voice vote, mandates that charities send a board member for at least four hours of professional training every other year. Penalties for noncompliance have yet to be determined.

The bill was watered down from an initial proposal that would have required the training every four years for all board members as well as chief executive and financial officers, and which threatened loss of state funding for noncompliance.

Nonprofit organizations have opposed the mandate, which was sought by state Health and Human Services Commissioner Nick Toumpas. He said many nonprofits in the state are “financially fragile” and their boards “need to be trained to understand what their fiduciary duty is” in order to preserve vital services.