September 29, 2023

Iowa Boards and Commissions Review Committee Final Recommendations

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The Iowa Boards and Commissions Review Committee (BCRC) held their final meeting this week to approve their final recommendations. The Committee submitted the Final Report with Findings & Recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly.

The recommendations eliminate 43% of state boards and commissions (111 out of the current 256 boards and commissions) and reduce the number of Governor-appointed members by 450. The draft report also contains guidelines for licensing standards that many of the boards and commissions currently oversee to reduce barriers to entry.

Below are the Key Findings and Recommendations of the final report:

Key Findings

1	Iowa should strive for better public participation in its boards and commissions process.
2	The number of boards and commissions in Iowa will continue to grow without a meaningful mechanism to review their effectiveness.
3	The current structure of advisory boards is inefficient and ineffective.
4	Part-time boards and commissions are rarely well-positioned to manage the core functions of executive branch agencies.
5	Iowa requires a license or certification for many of its occupations and its standards across all license types are inconsistent, ineffective, and unequal.

Recommendations

1	Reform the structure of advisory boards to create stronger channels for citizen input and facilitate meaningful perspectives for policymakers.
2	Reform the structure of advisory boards to create stronger channels for citizen input and facilitate meaningful perspective for policymakers.
3	Modernize Iowa’s open meetings laws to allow virtual or hybrid meetings more easily, which will expand public participation.
4	Remove arbitrary meeting requirements and allow boards and commissions to convene only as truly needed.
5	Allow the most qualified Iowans to serve on boards and commissions by repealing the gender-balance requirement.
6	Increase engagement on identified critical boards and commissions by compensating members for their more than “part-time” work.
7	Clarify the budget and rulemaking roles of a part-time board or commission that oversees a full-time executive branch agency.
8	Implement clear, consistent, and effective licensing standards to reduce barriers to entry into the workforce while continuing to protect the health and safety of Iowans.
9	Consolidate, merge, eliminate, or otherwise reorganize Iowa’s boards and commissions to allow state government to better serve its citizens.

Other Systemic Changes

Eliminate the ability of the “big boards” to lobby independently of DIAL (nursing, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry).
Extend the $10,000 annual salary for board members to the Board of Education, Board of Regents, and Council on Health & Human Service (currently only the Transportation Commission, Iowa Telecommunications & Technology Commission, and Racing and Gaming Commission are paid at this level).

Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement in response to the Boards and Commissions Review Committee submitting their final recommendation:

I appreciate the committee’s in-depth analysis and examination of Iowa’s Boards and Commissions, along with the thousands of Iowans who submitted feedback to the committee. The final report gives insight into how to ensure the most effective and efficient way to preserve Iowans’ engagement in their government. This comprehensive review of Iowa’s 256 boards and commissions was recommended by the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, created as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and represents the first of its kind. I look forward to submitting a bill to the legislature for consideration next year.

The Boards and Commissions Review Committee, created in the Governor’s alignment bill (Division XIX of SF5514), was responsible for reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of all boards, commissions, and other similar entities created in Iowa law.

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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.