Eighty-three state boards and commissions are being eliminated or consolidated.
Governor Kim Reynolds recommended even more for elimination, but legislators pared down her list and she has approved the final plan.
Iowa-Nebraska NAACP president Betty Andrews is raising concerns about shifting power away from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to a director appointed by the governor. The plan also eliminates several commissions in the Iowa Department of Human Rights.
“It sends a sad, unwelcoming message to communities of color, to people with disabilities and women,” Andrews said, “that civil rights and their interests are not a priority at the highest level of state government.”
Reynolds said have the Iowa Civil Rights Commission be an advisory group rather than a decision-making board makes sense.
“We had a part-time board that was really managing things and it’s just too hard to do that. You need somebody that’s there full time,” Reynolds said. “…It’s just a better way for us to really manage the organization.”
Reynolds sids there’s never been a comprehensive review of all state boards and commissions and it’s a continuation of her efforts to make state government more efficient. A year ago, the legislature approved the governor’s plan to reduce the number of state agencies from 36 to 16.