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
Recommendations
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.