New law reduces Iowa’s state boards and commissions

DES MOINES — Dozens of boards and commissions in Iowa state government will be eliminated or consolidated under legislation signed into law Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The plan is the second major phase of a reorganization of the executive branch, which was spearheaded by Reynolds and started last year with a reshuffling and combining of state agencies. Under the second phase signed Friday, 111 of Iowa’s state boards and commissions will be cut or consolidated, leaving 145 after the reorganization.

The state boards have a range of duties including rule-making, oversight of professions, advising state agencies and allocating budgets.

In calling for the changes, Reynolds said the realignment would make state government more efficient and allow more decisions to be made by elected officials rather than appointed boards. Republican lawmakers echoed those arguments during the legislative session earlier this year.

“Government should be consistently reviewing and improving our systems and the quality of services we provide, just like any business does for their customers. It’s a simple concept that government works for the people, not the other way around,” Reynolds said in a statement.

“Last year I cut 21 agencies from my cabinet, reduced government bureaucracy and red tape, and made state government more responsive to Iowans. These bills are a continuation of that work,” Reynolds said. “Iowa’s boards and commissions have never been comprehensively reviewed and adjusted for effectiveness and have grown exponentially in size and scope over decades. Today, we reverse that trend … fixing identified inefficiencies and unlocking the full potential of last year’s legislation to more effectively deliver services to Iowans.”

The legislation, Senate File 2385, passed the Iowa Legislature on largely party-line votes, with most Republicans supporting and most Democrats opposing the plan. The bill passed the Iowa House, 54-42, and the Iowa Senate, 32-14.

Democratic lawmakers argued the bill will take power away from important boards, including the boards serving underrepresented communities, and will consolidate power under the governor and away from the volunteer bodies.

Which boards will be eliminated?

The sprawling bill, which spans more than 250 pages, eliminates a number of boards that are no longer meeting or serving a function no longer needed. Other eliminations called for have caused concern among some lawmakers and advocacy groups.

The new law removes boards serving underrepresented groups, including commissions on Latino affairs, the status of women, African Americans, people with disabilities, Native Americans, deaf services and Asian and Pacific Islanders. The duties of those panels will be brought under the Human Rights Board.

The law also combines some health care boards, including by creating a Behavioral Health Professionals board that will govern psychology, social work and therapy professions. The law will bring several other existing health care boards under the Council of Health and Human Services.

The law also eliminates the Public Employment Relations Board, which oversees labor practices for public employees, and moves its authority under the Employment Appeal Board.

Other changes

The law creates a state Government Efficiency Review Committee that regularly will review the state’s boards and commissions. The committee, which will be tasked with reviewing a quarter of the boards each year, will evaluate a board’s efficiency and effectiveness and make recommendations for changes or elimination.

Various measures in the law will remove authority that is given to state boards and bring them under the agency or department they serve — giving executive staff appointed by the governor more rule-making and decision-making power.

Several boards and commissions that meet on a set schedule will be changed to meet on an as-needed basis, and government bodies at all levels will be required to run hybrid meetings that allow for remote participation.

Caleb McCullough of The Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.

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