A reasonable effort or a power grab?

Tucked inside the sprawling, 1,500-page government reorganization bill signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds is a requirement that a committee be formed to review 256 state boards an commissions. It held its first meeting on June 26.

The timeline is tight. The committee must make its recommendation to the governor and the Legislature showing which boards and commissions should be kept in place, consolidated or eliminated by Sept.

High-profile boards and commissions such as the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s universities, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which regulates gambling in Iowa, and the Iowa Transportation Commission, which sets transportation policies and funding are unlikely to be eliminated. As for the rest, it’s anyone’s guess what changes the new committee will recommend.

“They are sprawling with overlapping jurisdiction, occasionally even working in contrary purposes,” said Kraig Paulsen, director of the Department of Management and chairman of the committee. “And this is a way to build a more coherent creation of administrative policies for Iowans.”

That sounds reasonable enough. In addition to deciding the number of commissions, we believe the committee should also consider changes in how boards and commissions operate particularly related to consistency in providing public information to Iowans. We should be able to see goals documents, updates on initiatives, recommendations or strategic vision reports. Standard reporting requirements would provide greater transparency.

But we also enter this process with trepidation. Major portions of the government reform bill expanded the powers of the Republican governor and attorney general. It transformed numerous positions that had been insulated from politics into political appointments who serve at the pleasure of the governor or her appointed department heads. It’s a troubling concentration of executive power and will make it harder for Iowans to understand why government management decisions are made.

The committee’s timeline also gives us pause. It appears the process will make it difficult for Iowans to have their say on the committee’s recommendation.

We hope this is a genuine attempt to improve the management of state government and make it easier for Iowans to navigate the regulatory process, and not simply an effort to eliminate boards and commissions disliked by the governor’s political allies.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com