Capitol Notebook: Rob Sand says he has been doing ‘DOGE’ for years

DES MOINES — Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, the state’s lone statewide elected Democrat, said Wednesday he was pleased to hear Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to look for ways to make government more efficient while touting his own office’s work to that end.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference his office called, Sand said government efficiency is important to him as state auditor and said he shares the goal with Reynolds, who during her annual Condition of the State address the night prior announced her plan to establish a government efficiency task force.

Sand said his office’s Public Innovations and Efficiencies program, which he calls PIE for shorthand, has been working since he was first elected in 2018 to help local government bodies become more efficient.

“The whole idea behind it is finding ways for cities, counties and school districts to help save taxpayer dollars. And that program has been working fantastically,” Sand said. “Of course we’re happy because we’re passionate about the issue. To hear Gov. Reynolds (Tuesday) night in her state of the state speech say that she, too, wants to work on government efficiency at the local level — great. That’s wonderful.”

Reynolds said her government efficiency task force will continue the work of legislation she proposed and signed into law in 2023 that streamlined the executive branch of state government. That law reduced the number of Cabinet-level state agencies from 37 to 16 and eliminated scores of vacant state government jobs.

Reynolds said her new task force will look for efficiencies at all levels of government, including local.

Reynolds has said that her administration was doing DOGE before it was cool, referring to the federal Department of Government Efficiency that President-elect Donald Trump has planned to be led by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk.

“We are hoping that (Reynolds’ task force) will be working with our office and working with the PIE program, because we have been working on this very issue already for six years. And not only are we working on it, but we’re actually making quite a big impact across the state.”

Reynolds has not yet said whether she will run for re-election in 2026. Sand has not ruled out running for governor.

New state health care grants available

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More details about $3 million in state grants designed to grow Iowa’s health care workforce, introduced by Gov. Kim Reynolds during her annual Condition of the State address Tuesday, were made available Wednesday by Iowa Workforce Development.

The Iowa Health Care Credentialing Grant is open to eligible employers and accepting applications at iowagrants.gov, according to the state workforce department. Grant applications are due by 2 p.m. Feb. 19, according to the department.

The goal, according to the state, is to help fill high-demand health care jobs. Awarded programs must be work-based learning programs with an earn and learn component. That can include a registered apprenticeship, on-the-job training, or related programs, the state said.

“In rural and urban communities alike, access to high-quality health care depends on having a robust workforce in high-demand health careers,” Reynolds said in a news release. “This unique grant opportunity promises to do just that, bringing more medical professionals to every part of our state while strengthening our health care talent pipeline for many years to come.”

Reynolds highlighted the grants and the need for more health care workers in Iowa during her Condition of the State remarks.

Iowa Workforce Development said high-demand jobs targeted by the grants could include registered nurse, direct support professional, laboratory assistant or technician, paramedic, dental assistant or hygienist, and more.

“Health care jobs have never been more important to our workforce than they are today, but that doesn’t mean that it should be difficult to start a career in its many important occupations,” Iowa Workforce Development Executive Director Beth Townsend said in the news release. “This grant is laser focused on innovative earn and learn models that accelerate the pathway to a health care career in the areas that need them most. I encourage any eligible health care employer to consider how this opportunity can enhance your workforce.”

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