Boards and Commissions Review Committee Recommends Substantive Changes
August 31, 2023
The Boards and Commissions Review Committee convened by Governor Reynolds and chaired by Director of Management, Kraig Paulsen met Tuesday to discuss proposed changes from the subcommittees that met and reviewed all the existing board and commissions. During the meeting, several changes were proposed. Chairman Paulsen noted at the end that we need to remember that volunteer boards and commissioners are not well-positioned to manage the day to day operations of Government. The commission is now seeking public input and a public hearing will be held on Sep. 6 at NOON. You can see the full recommendations here.
Dive Deeper: Here are a few highlights of interest to ABI members of the full recommendations:
- Reduce the number of members of Iowa Workforce Development Board as allowed by federal law
- Consolidate the local workforce districts to maximize federal funding
- Merge several boards in Department of Education
- Employment Appeals Board will take on role of Public Employment Relations Board
- Eliminate the Leopold Center
- NO changes to Property Assessment Appeals Board
- Change Iowa Utilities Board to Iowa Utilities Commission, eliminate Midwest Energy Consortium
- Remove rulemaking authority for alcoholic beverages commission
- IEDA Board- remove congressional district representation, assume all duties of Enhance Iowa Board
- Reduce the number of people on Iowa Innovation Council
- Eliminate the Clean Air Advisory Panel, Underground Storage Tank Board
- Eliminate the Iowa Prison Industries Advisory Board
ABI has worked to help Governors of both parties and the Legislature find people to fill board and commissions slots. We applaud the proposed changes and will look forward to commenting during the Sep 6 opportunity.