(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch.
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Iowa Senate votes to drop confirmation process for many governor’s appointees

['Katie Akin', 'More From Author', '- March']

Date: 2022-03


Dozens of the governor’s appointees would no longer go through a Senate confirmation process under a bill advanced Tuesday by the Iowa Senate.

Under current law, the Iowa Senate is charged with confirming appointees to various advisory boards, commissions and committees. The Senate must approve appointees by a two-thirds majority – 34 of 50 votes. That requires bipartisan agreement, as Republicans hold 32 seats in the current assembly.

Senate File 2263 would allow many appointees to take their positions without a Senate confirmation. Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, said the bill “streamlines the process.”

High-profile appointees, like agency directors and members of the Board of Regents, will still undergo Senate confirmation. But members of over two dozen boards would be exempt from the requirement under the proposal.

Democrats opposed the change, arguing the confirmation process is an essential check on the governor’s power.

“I think that getting rid of checks and balances in government is a very, very dangerous thing to do,” said Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines.

Members of the Senate could request a confirmation hearing for an individual with a simple majority vote. With only 18 members in the Senate, Democrats would be unable to call for a confirmation process on an individual without Republican support.

“You’re using the majority strength to pull the little bit of power that the minority has so that they have none,” said Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines.

Smith said the bill does not “handcuff the Senate” or remove oversight. He argued the change would actually allow the Senate to have more oversight over boards that are not currently subject to confirmation.

The Senate voted 33-15 to pass the bill, sending it to the House for consideration.

“We can still, as a body, choose to not confirm, if we’d like, under this bill,” Smith said. “We set the duties of the boards… We have complete control.”

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